necessitate

verb

ne·​ces·​si·​tate ni-ˈse-sə-ˌtāt 

necessitated; necessitating

transitive verb

1

: to make necessary : require

Business was growing, which necessitated the hiring of additional employees.

2

: force, compel

was necessitated to choose some other route

necessitation

ni-ˌse-sə-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Synonyms

• bear
• challenge
• claim
• demand
• need
• require
• take
• want
• warrant

Examples of necessitate in a Sentence

New safety regulations necessitated adding a railing to the stairs.

getting new shoes would necessitate another trip to the mall

Recent Examples on the Web

While direct rule required a single legal order that governed both natives and settlers, indirect rule necessitated a dual legal system in which different systems of customary law applied to different groups. —Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025

Collaboration and continuous improvement are valued, and non-compliance may necessitate further dialogue and adjustments. —Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 31 Mar. 2025

But the country’s hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed by patients necessitating medical care. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025

Dozens of Khalil supporters showed up at the New Jersey courtroom, necessitating an overflow room for those who wanted to watch the proceedings. —Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for necessitate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

necessitate

verb

ne·​ces·​si·​tate ni-ˈses-ə-ˌtāt 

necessitated; necessitating

: to make necessary

sick enough to necessitate staying home

necessitation

-ˌses-ə-ˈtā-shən 

noun