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

British Dictionary definitions for of 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 of necessity (1 of 2)

of necessity

Also, out of necessity. As an inevitable consequence, unavoidably, as in the New Testament: “Of necessity he must release one unto them at the Feast” (Luke 23:17). [Late 1300s]

Idioms and Phrases with of necessity (2 of 2)

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

British Dictionary definitions for of necessity

noun plural -ties

Idioms and Phrases with of necessity (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with of necessity (2 of 2)

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 of necessity

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for of necessity

noun plural -ties

Idioms and Phrases with of necessity (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with of necessity (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for of necessity