necessity is the mother of invention
idiom
—used to say that new ways to do things are found or created when there is a strong and special need for them
Examples of necessity is the mother of invention in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Still, necessity is the mother of invention, so if this laser technology can be used to give any kind of military advantage, someone will figure out how.
—
PC Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025
So necessity is the mother of invention: along comes technologies like filtering software that sense reflected signals and block them (along with any spoofer attacks) so the remaining signals are not corrupted by echoes.
—Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If necessity is the mother of invention, these economic initiatives are giving birth to entrepreneurs, gig workers and founders.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Samui This alignment was proof that necessity is the mother of invention: early in the COVID-19 pandemic, HBO execs needed a project that could be filmed in a standalone and easily surveilled setting.
—Nick Remsen, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2025
If necessity is the mother of invention, then reinvention must be the mother of resilience—and few embody that better than Martha Stewart.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 4 Nov. 2024
In global governance, as elsewhere, necessity is the mother of invention, and the global credit crisis that struck with full force in 2008 led to the rise to prominence of a relatively new international grouping, the G-20.
—Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2013
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PC Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025
So necessity is the mother of invention: along comes technologies like filtering software that sense reflected signals and block them (along with any spoofer attacks) so the remaining signals are not corrupted by echoes.
—Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If necessity is the mother of invention, these economic initiatives are giving birth to entrepreneurs, gig workers and founders.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Samui This alignment was proof that necessity is the mother of invention: early in the COVID-19 pandemic, HBO execs needed a project that could be filmed in a standalone and easily surveilled setting.
—Nick Remsen, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2025
If necessity is the mother of invention, then reinvention must be the mother of resilience—and few embody that better than Martha Stewart.
—Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 4 Nov. 2024
In global governance, as elsewhere, necessity is the mother of invention, and the global credit crisis that struck with full force in 2008 led to the rise to prominence of a relatively new international grouping, the G-20.
—Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necessity%20is%20the%20mother%20of%20invention. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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