Definition of needy
needier
;neediest
1 : being in want : poverty-stricken needy families … where needy children from the community could come to get free, nutritious meals. — Liza N. Burby
2 : marked by want of affection, attention, or emotional support emotionally needy The girl was needy for her mother's affection.
neediness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of needy in a Sentence
As a child, she was extremely needy and had no self-confidence.
those generous souls who regularly give money and donate clothes to help the needy
Recent Examples of needy from the Web
-
Former Kansas center Cole Aldrich of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and his wife, Britt, recently returned from a mission to Peru with Starkey Hearing Foundation, a company that provides hearing aids to the needy.
-
In a muscular essay in LitHub, Rebecca Solnit pares away the trappings of power to poke at the needy, grasping, isolated core of Donald Trump, who can’t be satisfied with all the money or sycophants in the world.
-
Stand for Children Illinois, a group that has been advocating for the surcharge's removal, said federal funds are a lifeline for needier students and schools that are under-resourced.
-
Cats aren’t as needy as dogs and don’t show their affection as readily as dogs will.
-
The funding formula is supposed to help close that gap by funneling more money to needier schools.
-
Mary’s lover is a tedious writer, husband Michael’s paramour (Melora Walters) is a needy ballet teacher — and that each thinks the other doesn’t know.
-
This leaves government health programs, groaning under the high cost of drugs, to figure out how to bargain or to limit the availability of these drugs to the neediest patients.
-
On the other hand, profits from startup incubation could subsidize tuition for needier students, particularly in the internationally popular graduate program.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'needy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
12th Century
First Known Use of needy
12th century
NEEDY Defined for English Language Learners
needy
playDefinition of needy for English Language Learners
-
: not having enough money, food, etc., to live properly
-
: needing a lot of attention, affection, or emotional support
NEEDY Defined for Kids
needy
playDefinition of needy for Students
needier
;neediest
: very poor
neediness
nounLearn More about needy
-
See words that rhyme with needy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for needy Spanish Central: Translation of needy Nglish: Translation of needy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of needy for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up needy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!