1
as in requirement
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
on any road trip, accurate maps are a necessity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
two years of unemployment had reduced the family to abject necessity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Just like your favorite pair of jeans, a timeless, denim skirt is a wardrobe necessity.
—
Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
But with an economy marred by low growth and high inflation, these barriers are beginning to shatter out of necessity.
—Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025
Luck is a necessity when an NBA team begins a rebuild without a top-flight star to trade and without extra future first-round draft picks in its cupboard, as the Wizards did two years ago.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The Most Popular Menu Items At first, the course’s modest menu was built out of necessity.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for necessity
Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
But with an economy marred by low growth and high inflation, these barriers are beginning to shatter out of necessity.
—Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025
Luck is a necessity when an NBA team begins a rebuild without a top-flight star to trade and without extra future first-round draft picks in its cupboard, as the Wizards did two years ago.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The Most Popular Menu Items At first, the course’s modest menu was built out of necessity.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for necessity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necessity
Noun
-
Marrying Business Impact With Economics While the industry has witnessed a proliferation of smaller, specialized AI models, significant AI chip innovation remains essential to deliver the performance requirements for supporting advanced reasoning and multimodal models.—
Maribel Lopez,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
This is a repeating annual fixture between the same two boat clubs each year, with no requirement to defeat anyone to get there so a roughly 50% chance of winning for each team and Etonian Matthew Pinsent there to ensure both fair play and the patina of poshness that is at the event's heart.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The prosperous timber industry, having stripped the region of its eastern white pine, was in retreat, leaving poverty in its wake.—
Charles Arrowsmith,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Warren harvested greens, potatoes and watermelons as part of an effort to address food insecurity and health concerns in a neighborhood challenged by blight, crime and poverty.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Safety glasses are a must, and hearing protection is essential when working with loud equipment.—
Daniel Scott,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2025
-
But if Mom can’t stand the thought of leaving the house without her hair in place, this beauty buy is a must.—
Brigitt Earley,
Glamour,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
For civilians, the unrelenting misery of the last 18 months has just got a lot worse – especially as no aid has entered Gaza for six weeks.—
Tim Lister and Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Life was good, especially after the last three seasons of misery, when games at this time of year were meaningless aside from their impact on the draft lottery.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Necessity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necessity. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share