1
as in necessary
impossible to do without
purchase needful provisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
let's first help the needful families in our own community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
fortunately, the family had the needful to stock up the larder before the long hard winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in must
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
packed a warm jacket and other needfuls for an autumn weekend in the country
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of needful
Corey Van Landingham, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
What sort of response was needful?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2013
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2022
Sometimes environments and selection pressures change radically, and large effect mutations may become needful.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2010
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—Matthew Sweet, The Economist, 4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Nov. 2020
Many proponents of critical race theory — whose animating idea is that race is the one thing needful, the single lens through which all other phenomena should be viewed — are indeed trying to compel compliance.
—Greg Weiner, National Review, 10 Sep. 2020
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 May 2023
Adjective
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?
—Corey Van Landingham, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
What sort of response was needful?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2013
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2022
Sometimes environments and selection pressures change radically, and large effect mutations may become needful.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2010
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—Matthew Sweet, The Economist, 4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Nov. 2020
Many proponents of critical race theory — whose animating idea is that race is the one thing needful, the single lens through which all other phenomena should be viewed — are indeed trying to compel compliance.
—Greg Weiner, National Review, 10 Sep. 2020
Noun
The actor did indeed ‘get it together’ and is doing the needful to make things official.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needful
Adjective
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Pruning is not necessary but can be used to increase blooms, shape plants, or control plant size.Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024
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Data is conflicting on whether vitamin D is beneficial in cancer, and more research is necessary.Kirstyn Hill, PharmD, MPH, Health, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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So this poor kid [who finished in last], this single guy, for a year had to have a Fathead of his buddy in boxers, a giant life-size Fathead above his bed.Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
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In many poor and densely populated neighborhoods across the country, people have access to free, unmetered electricity.Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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A great deal of money is spent on cover designs and marketing campaigns as well as in understanding what the market wants.Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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The Mariners, though, would face significant competition for Walker, and might not view a first baseman who will play next season at 34 years old as the wisest investment of their money.Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Also, considering that 27% of house fires are caused by lint build-up in clothes dryers, cleaning out the duct at least once per year is a must.Ryan Barone, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
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For someone who’s as busy living the pop star life as Dua Lipa, traveling in style is a must.Michelle Lee, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Good data is essential—ML models can only perform as well as the training data they are fed.William Mullane, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
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Remember, analytics is essential in every role across all industries.Jay Garcia, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In Delhi, impoverished kids are learning to love reading and math, thanks to a police officer’s makeshift school.Shefali Rafiq, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
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Assad’s fall ends more than six decades of Baath Party rule that sought to center Syria as a leader in the Arab world, but instead left it corruption-riddled and impoverished.Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Prosecutors said Mangione was found with several thousands of dollars in cash, a portion of it in foreign currency, CNN and The Associated Press reported.Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
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The Onion won the bid despite offering a lower buyout at $1.75 million in cash.Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The filing also discusses the company's liquidity and capital resources, stating that current cash position and anticipated cash flow from operations should be sufficient to meet operating cash requirements for the next 12 months.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 10 Dec. 2024
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New apps and frameworks are being released all the time along with hardware specs as well as energy and cooling requirements, which all contribute to the confusion.Hugo Farinha, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Needful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needful. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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