ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Necessity

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /nɪˈsɛsəti/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Necessity is a noun meaning The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.

Meaning

The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.

More Meanings

  1. The condition of being needy; desperate need; lack.
  2. Something necessary; a requisite; something indispensable.
  3. Something which makes an act or an event unavoidable; an irresistible force; overruling power.
  4. (law) Greater utilitarian good; used in justification of a criminal act.
  5. (law, in the plural) Indispensable requirements (of life).
  6. The negation of freedom in voluntary action; the subjection of all phenomena, whether material or spiritual, to inevitable causation; necessitarianism.

Example Sentences

A tent is a necessity if you plan on camping.
I bought a new table out of necessity. My old one was ruined.
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
Look for the bare necessities / The simple bare necessities / Forget about your worries and your strife

Word Forms

Synonyms for necessity

Depending on context, synonyms include necessariness, inevitability, needfulness, certainty, requisite, essential.

Antonyms for necessity

Common opposites include impossibility, contingency, luxury, inessential, nonessential.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include requisite, necessary, essential, requirement, needs, needed.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.