necessary 1 of 2

adjective

ˈne-sə-ˌser-ē How to pronounce necessary (audio)
Definition of necessarynext
1
as in required
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law an emissions test is necessary before you can renew the registration for your car

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2
as in inevitable
impossible to avoid or evade taxes will always be a necessary evil

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3
as in essential
impossible to do without food and water are necessary for survival

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

necessary

2 of 2

noun

as in must
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable a modest income that provided the family with only the necessaries of life

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of necessary
Adjective
Saying yes to nearly everything Southern Miss offered felt necessary. — Todd Buchanan, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Another hospitalization was necessary in December 2022, again due to an infection. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
At George Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation in Virginia there were several such necessaries on the grounds. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025 Among other necessaries will be Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor separating Gaza from Egypt, to ensure that Hamas can’t resupply itself with weapons. — Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for necessary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necessary
  1. required
  2. inevitable
  3. essential
  4. must
  5. mandatory
  6. possible
  7. needed
  8. requirement
Adjective
  • Your school will apply the funds toward required costs like tuition and fees before sending any remaining amount to you.
    — Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The economics behind that shift are already influencing how some large companies deploy AI, with businesses becoming increasingly selective in matching individual tasks to models based on cost and required performance.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of required
Adjective
  • But one thing that didn’t happen in that time, arguably more inevitable than all of the above, was Enzo Fernandez moving from Chelsea to Manchester City.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • People close to Newsom privately speculated that the culprit might be a foreign power looking to undermine the California governor’s seemingly inevitable 2028 presidential campaign.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of inevitable
Adjective
  • Koeckeritz argued that a paved parking lot is an essential accessory to its main function — worship — not the principal use of the property across the street from the towering cathedral.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Which essential services, such as banks and postal delivery, will be closed?
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of essential
Noun
  • Seafood is the star of the show here—especially the shrimp and grits and crab cakes, which Bernthal says are a must-order.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Downtown shopping is a must, Southern Living says, with a local bookstore and village shop.
    — Eva Flowe August 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of must
Adjective
  • The fallout of this fraud included several new state-level fiscal accountability reforms for all New York school districts, including stricter internal controls, mandatory board oversight and independent auditor requirements.
    — Kathryn Blackman, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Due to the business’s small, quaint space, reservations are mandatory.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of mandatory
Adjective
  • Sunlight Place the plant in a sunny window, south-facing if possible, and give it four to six hours of sunlight each day.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Carley Garner, a commodity market strategist and broker at DeCarley Trading, said smaller futures and oil ETFs such as the United States Oil Fund (ticker USO) have made speculation possible for traders at almost any level of experience or funding.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of possible
Adjective
  • Senior Trey Cooley, who transferred from Troy, and senior Jayden Limar, who ran for 262 yards last season at Oregon, provide needed depth.
    — Andrew Destin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The development comes a week after the city started the process of relocating residents to allow for the new owner to make needed repairs.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of needed
Noun
  • Some have no down payment requirements, most have below-average interest rates and many come with lower closing costs and monthly payments, thanks to no PMI requirements.
    — Dan Simms, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • This allows individuals to evaluate the organization's mission, team dynamics, and actual time requirements.
    — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of requirement

Browse Nearby Words

necessarily
necessary
necessitate
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Cite this Entry

“Necessary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necessary. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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