necessitate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make necessary or unavoidable.
The breakdown of the car necessitated a change in our plans.
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to compel, oblige, or force.
The new wage demand will necessitate a price increase.
verb
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to cause as an unavoidable and necessary result
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(usually passive) to compel or require (someone to do something)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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necessitationnoun
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prenecessitateverb (used with object)
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necessitativeadjective
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unnecessitatedadjective
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unnecessitatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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necessitatesimple
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necessitatessimple
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have necessitatedperfect
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has necessitatedperfect
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am necessitatingprogressive
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are necessitatingprogressive
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is necessitatingprogressive
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have been necessitatingperfect progressive
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has been necessitatingperfect progressive
Past
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necessitatedsimple
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had necessitatedperfect
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was necessitatingprogressive
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were necessitatingprogressive
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had been necessitatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of necessitate
1620–30; < Medieval Latin necessitātus, past participle of necessitāre to compel, constrain. See necessity, -ate 1
Explanation
The verb necessitate shows that something is necessary or needs to happen, as when a sweet tooth can necessitate a trip to the store for a triple-scoop ice cream — which will necessitate a trip to the gym. Synonyms for necessitate are "require" and "force." Although what's required may be serious, necessitate also just labels things that follow naturally from one step to another. A dead car battery might necessitate a long walk home, or your completion of skills tests might necessitate moving up to the next level. Necessitate commonly replaces "need" when doctors talk about treatment, so while your scraped knee might need a big bandage, it may "necessitate treatment with antibiotics" if you go to a clinic.
Vocabulary lists containing necessitate
Metamorphosis
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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.
See Examples For:
He didn’t say which testosterone levels would necessitate treatment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Price increases due to the conflict, however, "could necessitate maintaining the current policy stance for longer than previously anticipated," the latest meeting's minutes said.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
And with a new 10-year strategy due to be announced this summer, there will be interest in whether missing a second major tournament will necessitate at least some scaling back of ambition.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
The allegations against Cesar Chavez represent a definitive puncturing of the myth surrounding the civil rights icon and necessitate a comprehensive reckoning with how Latino communities elevated him despite warning signs of moral failings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
I tried to choose a figure that would not sound too drastic yet would necessitate my coming back to fill in the gaps.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
The analyst admitted, however, that it “may be early” to take a bullish stance on Oracle, calling it a “show me stock” that necessitates consistent results before investors change their opinions.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
The rise of drones, however, necessitates the development of anti-drone technology as well.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
Achieving the first goal necessitates restraint and care, both from the SEC when it promulgates a rule and from Congress when it directs the commission to mandate disclosure on a subject.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
Horvath, who authored the motion, supported these suggestions but argued that the extreme situation necessitates bold action to protect residents from the economic harm of immigration raids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
Not just because it’s dark and wet and full of spiders and who knows what else, and not just because it’s always scary weather that necessitates entering its depths.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
That could further reward companies already monetizing the historic capital expenditures necessitated by the AI build-out and punish those still burning cash on promises, according to market analysts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
Meow Wolf’s James Stephenson, a senior VP with the company and its creative director of emerging media, said the degree to which the L.A. exhibition will lean into various animation styles necessitated an outside partner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The latter is necessitated by many driver assistance systems and other regulation-related technology that I didn’t want but was forced to pay for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
But repeated setbacks stalled the mission and even necessitated rolling the rocket back to its hangar for analysis and repairs.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
This necessitated a hearing to settle the contestation of the will.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Her dad said afterward that acid reflux had made her vocal cords swell, necessitating the last-minute switch from live to Memorex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
The government is also getting a 25% cut of Nvidia’s sales, part of the deal that is also necessitating a thorough security review and unusual shipment process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
Tesla is the largest holding in both ARK funds, representing more than 10% of investments, necessitating portfolio rebalancing.
From Barron's ● Dec. 15, 2025
The company's lawyers say they "attempted informal resolution of the dispute" with Lizzo's team, "but reached an impasse, necessitating the filing of this case".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025
More numbers: two visits from Gina and Malcolm, who flew into Miles City, Montana, and Bismarck, North Dakota, necessitating extra driving for Grandpa Ed but gaining them five nights total in actual motel beds.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
