NECESSITY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

necessity

noun

ni-ˈse-sə-tē

Definition of necessity

as in requirement

something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable on any road trip, accurate maps are a necessity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in poverty

the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions two years of unemployment had reduced the family to abject necessity

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 necessity Organic cotton tampons from Cora can turn an everyday necessity into a practical addition to a thoughtful wellness package. — Ethan Stone october 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026 Material necessity plainly matters, as does the conviction that daughter names something a family cannot simply revoke. — Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026 The necessity of maintaining fuel efficiency standards is manifest in California, where about 40% of those emissions come from auto and truck tailpipes. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Kemp asked residents to gather water, food, batteries, flashlights and other necessities. — CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for necessity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for necessity

Noun

However, the bill would also preempt certain state requirements covering public risk disclosures, independent evaluations, and critical incident reporting.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
The legislation enacts new work requirements and greater vetting for Medicaid, the low-income program that thousands of Alaskans depend on for healthcare.

— Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of requirement

Noun

If the main predictor of racial disparities in prison is poverty, then denouncing police and prosecutors as racist won't shrink those gaps.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
The result was 90% of farmers in the country living in poverty with virtually all of them drinking unclean water.

— Adam Duxter, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of poverty

Noun

Both also pride themselves in downfield blocking, a must for a team coached by a former receivers coach.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
For Olivia Allen, the second rotation of Ana Viktoria Dzinic’s solo at Nicoletti in Shoreditch—which coincides with a solo booth over at Frieze London—is a must.

— Mahoro Seward, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of must

Noun

Waiting for the Jets are the defending AFC champion Patriots and a stadium that has delivered far more misery than milestones.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
With Dunham as creator, showrunner and star, the original series followed a group of friends through the misery and dysfunction of their 20s in New York City.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of misery

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necessitous

necessity

neck

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Style

“Necessity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necessity. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of necessity

noun

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