necessity

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noun ne·ces·si·ty \ ni-ˈse-sə-tē , -ˈse-stē \

Definition of necessity

plural necessities

1 :the quality or state of being necessary

He questioned the necessity for the change.

2 a :pressure of circumstance

The plane was compelled by necessity to change its course.

b :physical or moral compulsion

did it, not because he wanted to, but by necessity

c :impossibility of a contrary order or condition

submittimg to the necessity imposed by the physical laws of the universe

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

had come to help them in their necessity

4 a :something that is necessary :requirement

Many families could not afford the bare necessities of life.

b :an urgent need or desire

When his father collapsed, an ambulance became a necessity.

— of necessity

:in such a way that it cannot be otherwise; also :as a necessary consequence

further changes will occur of necessity

See necessity defined for English-language learners

See necessity defined for kids

Examples of necessity in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of necessity from the Web

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Malik Rosier’s only previous start for Miami was out of necessity.

— tim reynolds, The Seattle Times, "No. 18 Miami taps Malik Rosier as starting quarterback," 22 Aug. 2017
And the necessities for life science experiments (such as plants or microbe samples) and biologic samples from the crew (blood, urine and more) already occupy the limited freezer space available on the ISS.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "ISS Astronauts Get a Sweet Taste of Real Ice Cream," 17 Aug. 2017
In New York, where students speak more than 200 languages and arrive in classrooms with varying degrees of proficiency, some schools adopted the method out of necessity.

— kyle spencer, New York Times, "A New Kind of Classroom: No Grades, No Failing, No Hurry," 11 Aug. 2017
Independence Fire Department in southern Kenton County is hiring EMTs, who have less advanced training than paramedics, out of necessity.

— chris mayhew, Cincinnati.com, "Fire departments take aim at paramedic shortage," 27 July 2017
The ships will play these multiple roles partially for the sake of practicality, and partly beause of necessity.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia May Put Lasers on Its New Icebreaker Ships," 24 July 2017
A new type of car pusher for the purpose of speeding up the unloading of cargoes and cars and eliminating the necessity of a switch engine is shown in the illustration.

— daniel c. schlenoff, Scientific American, "Hyperefficient Agriculture, 50 Years Ago and Now," 24 July 2017
This urban success story has made the streetcar less of a necessity to some.

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "4 Neighborhoods That Need a Streetcar More Than DTLA," 19 July 2017
When girls don’t have access to the most basic necessities for managing their periods, their education suffers.

— abigail jones, MSNBC Newsweek, "The Period Movement: Meet the Men Fighting to Stop Menstruation-Shaming in the Developing World," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'necessity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of necessity

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

necessity Synonyms

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 Defined for English Language Learners

necessity

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noun

Definition of necessity for English Language Learners

: something that you must have or do : something that is necessary
: the quality of being necessary

NECESSITY Defined for Kids

necessity

play

noun ne·ces·si·ty \ ni-ˈse-sə-tē \

Definition of necessity for Students

plural necessities

1 :the state of things that forces certain actions

The necessity of eating forced her to work.

2 :very great need

Call us for help in case of necessity.

3 :the state of being in need :poverty

I am forced by necessity to beg.

4 :something that is badly needed

He bought a few necessities before his trip.

Law Dictionary

necessity

noun ne·ces·si·ty

legal Definition of necessity

plural necessities

1 a :the presence or pressure of circumstances that justify or compel a certain course of action; especially :a need to respond or react to a dangerous situation by committing a criminal act

b :an affirmative defense originating in common law that the defendant had to commit a criminal act because of the pressure of a situation that threatened a harm greater than that resulting from the act — see also choice of evils defense at defense 2a — compare duress, undue influence

2 :something that is necessary especially to subsistence