necessity

ne·ces·si·ty

noun \ni-ˈse-sə-tē, -ˈses-tē\

plural ne·ces·si·ties

Definition of NECESSITY

1

: the quality or state of being necessary

2

a : pressure of circumstance

b : physical or moral compulsion

c : impossibility of a contrary order or condition

3

: the quality or state of being in need; especially : poverty

4

a : something that is necessary : requirement

b : an urgent need or desire

— of necessity

: in such a way that it cannot be otherwise; also : as a necessary consequence <further changes will occur of necessity>

Examples of NECESSITY

1. Sunscreen is an absolute necessity for the beach.
2. food, clothes, and other basic necessities
3. Getting plenty of rest is a necessity.
4. Without a car, living close to work is a necessity.
5. All we took with us on our hiking trip were the bare necessities.

Origin of NECESSITY

Middle English necessite, from Anglo-French necessité, from Latin necessitat-, necessitas, from necesse

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to NECESSITY

Synonyms

condition, demand, must, must-have, necessary, essential, need, needful, requirement, requisite, sine qua non

Antonyms

nonessential, nonnecessity

Related Words

precondition, prerequisite; advantage, edge, plus; desideration, desideratum, wish

Near Antonyms

amenity, comfort, extra, extravagance, frill, indulgence, luxury, superfluity, surplus, surplusage

necessity

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In logic and metaphysics, a modal property of a true proposition whereby it is not possible for the proposition to be false and of a false proposition whereby it is not possible for the proposition to be true. A proposition is logically necessary if it instantiates a law of logic or can be made to instantiate a law of logic through substitution of definitionally equivalent terms. Examples are “It is raining now or it is not raining now” and “All men are human beings” (assuming “men” can be replaced with “male human beings”). Necessary propositions are sometimes said to be true or false (as the case may be) in all possible worlds. A contingently true or false proposition is thus one that is true in some possible worlds and false in others (e.g., “France is a democracy”). All true logically necessary propositions are analytic (see analytic-synthetic distinction) and knowable a priori. Some philosophers recognize a second category of “metaphysically” necessary propositions that are not analytic and generally not a priori; examples include identity statements such as “Water is HO.”