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Synonyms

needed

American  
[nee-did] / ˈni dɪd /

adjective

  1. necessary, required, or wanted (usually used in combination).

    a much-needed vacation.

Etymology

Origin of needed

First recorded in 1610–20; need ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But his history is a useful reminder that no divine causality is ultimately needed to account for Athens’—or any nation’s—demise.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Trainer Dan Skelton said: "He was really brave today. He needed to be and he was."

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The decline in CDS spreads indicates Wall Street is growing more hopeful CoreWeave will rake in the revenue needed to justify its massive, debt-financed data-center buildout.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

However, he warned that “clearer evidence that unsupervised autonomy is around the corner” is needed to justify Tesla’s valuation.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Even though I didn’t want to hear it, I needed to know.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.