necessity

[ nuh-ses-i-tee ]

/ nəˈsɛs ɪ ti /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR necessity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ne·ces·si·ties.

something necessary or indispensable: food, shelter, and other necessities of life.

the fact of being necessary or indispensable; indispensability: the necessity of adequate housing.

an imperative requirement or need for something: the necessity for a quick decision.

the state or fact of being necessary or inevitable: to face the necessity of testifying in court.

an unavoidable need or compulsion to do something: not by choice but by necessity.

a state of being in financial need; poverty: a family in dire necessity.

Philosophy. the quality of following inevitably from logical, physical, or moral laws.

Idioms for necessity

of necessity, as an inevitable result; unavoidably; necessarily: Our trip to China must of necessity be postponed for a while.

Origin of necessity

1325–75; Middle English necessite < Latin necessitās, equivalent to necess(e) needful + -itās -ity

SYNONYMS FOR necessity

3 demand.

6 neediness, indigence, want.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR necessity ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for necessity

3. See need.

OTHER WORDS FROM necessity

non·ne·ces·si·ty, noun, plural non·ne·ces·si·ties. su·per·ne·ces·si·ty, noun, plural su·per·ne·ces·si·ties.

Words nearby necessity

necessitarian, necessitarianism, necessitate, necessitous, necessitude, necessity, necessity is the mother of invention, nechako, neches, necho, neck

Example sentences from the Web for necessity

All of these changes to college financing occurred at exactly the time when college education became a necessity.

The Student Loan Crisis That Isn’t About Kids at Harvard |Monica Potts |November 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I had to create plays out of necessity, because African women deserved a voice and a place on the stage.

Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira Vs. Boko Haram |Kristi York Wooten |November 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
After all, the Prince of necessity had to focus on defeating his external enemies.

Valerie Jarrett, Obama Consigliere—and Democracy Killer |James Poulos |November 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The way San Pedro Prison functions is a necessity as a result, Bolivian journalist Aldo Medinaceli explained to me.

Cocaine, Politicians and Wives: Inside the World’s Most Bizarre Prison |Jason Batansky |October 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

That was galling for those who described the invasion of Iraq as a conflict of choice, not necessity.

The Rhinohawks Come Roaring Back |James Poulos |September 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Impress upon them the necessity of selecting capable officers.

The Boy and the Sunday School |John L. Alexander
By the necessity of our constitution a certain enthusiasm attends the individual's consciousness of that divine presence.

Essays, First Series |Ralph Waldo Emerson
First, the arts dealing with form, where its necessity is evident.

Essay on the Creative Imagination |Th. Ribot
This is not an abnormal action, but is of necessity, or asphyxia would instantly result and the runner would drop.

Scientific American Supplement No. 275 |Various
This he fully admitted, but was not prepared to dispense with the necessity of an academical preparation.

Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel |John Yeardley

British Dictionary definitions for necessity

necessity

/ (nɪˈsɛsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

(sometimes plural) something needed for a desired result; prerequisite necessities of life

a condition or set of circumstances, such as physical laws or social rules, that inevitably requires a certain result it is a matter of necessity to wear formal clothes when meeting the Queen

the state or quality of being obligatory or unavoidable

urgent requirement, as in an emergency or misfortune in time of necessity we must all work together

poverty or want

rare compulsion through laws of nature; fate

philosophy

a condition, principle, or conclusion that cannot be otherwise
the constraining force of physical determinants on all aspects of lifeCompare freedom (def. 8)

logic

the property of being necessary
a statement asserting that some property is essential or statement is necessarily true
the operator that indicates that the expression it modifies is true in all possible worldsUsual symbol: □, ∟

of necessity inevitably; necessarily

Idioms and Phrases with necessity

necessity

In addition to the idiom beginning with necessity

necessity is the mother of invention

also see:

make a virtue of necessity
of necessity

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

necessity

noun, plural ne·ces·si·ties.

Idioms for necessity

Origin of necessity

SYNONYMS FOR necessity

synonym study for necessity

OTHER WORDS FROM necessity

Words nearby necessity

Example sentences from the Web for necessity

British Dictionary definitions for necessity

noun plural -ties

Idioms and Phrases with necessity

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

necessity

noun, plural ne·ces·si·ties.

Idioms for necessity

Origin of necessity

SYNONYMS FOR necessity

synonym study for necessity

OTHER WORDS FROM necessity

Words nearby necessity

Words related to necessity

Example sentences from the Web for necessity

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noun plural -ties

Idioms and Phrases with necessity

British Dictionary definitions for necessity