necessitous

adjective

ni-ˈse-sə-təs How to pronounce necessitous (audio)
Definition of necessitousnext
1
as in necessary
impossible to do without all the dreaded, necessitous decisions that one must make when arranging the funeral of a loved one

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions amidst the holiday feasting, merrymaking and spending, it was easy to overlook the necessitous members of the community

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in urgent
needing immediate attention firmly of the belief that no matter is so necessitous that it cannot be put off until tomorrow

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of necessitous Exclusive dedication to necessitous employment without interludes of hedonistic diversion renders John a bland young male. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necessitous
  1. necessary
  2. impoverished
  3. urgent
  4. essential
  5. poor
  6. acute
  7. needful
  8. impecunious
Adjective
  • The Board will take the time necessary to thoughtfully evaluate the circumstances before taking any appropriate next steps regarding district leadership as the facts become clearer.
    — Jack Lowenstein, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Both Lawler and Conley called on voters to be patient and to stay in line as long as necessary to vote.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of necessary
Adjective
  • The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in the impoverished country.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The white South African group governed the nation for decades under a brutal system of segregation known as apartheid, which kept the Black majority an impoverished underclass until the system was dismantled in 1994.
    — Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of impoverished
Adjective
  • Hollywood largely stayed out of the fight despite what appears to be an increasingly urgent situation emerging in which workers across the industry are failing to qualify for union health insurance plans.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2026
  • With Anthropic expected to IPO sooner than later, an event that could tip the rest of the stock market into a tailspin, the question of how to cover this world without becoming an accessory to its interests feels ever more urgent.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of urgent
Adjective
  • Jason Watson, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of Strategic Reentry Programs, described testing as essential to improving reliability.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The quest for tickets is the first of several McGuffins in the film that, while fun, bring to life the essential truth that the core of being teenage is the shiny allure of intangible pursuits, those things that promise fame, friends and being cool.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of essential
Adjective
  • Nearby residents have argued that the large apartment complex will be a poor fit for their neighborhood, citing concerns about traffic congestion and fire department access, among other things.
    — Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Lions’ high-flying offense is at its best on turf, not nearly as fast on grass, and their poor red zone defense has been an issue.
    — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • The track’s watery percussion and acute synth stabs carry all the implication of a dancefloor, even without a beat.
    — Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Chronic diastolic congestive heart failure was an underlying cause, and acute renal failure was also listed as a significant contributing condition.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of acute
Adjective
  • Her voice is slurred, needful, abject.
    — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
  • That image of God never has a problem, never has a disease, never lacks anything needful or truly desirable, and has never sinned.
    — Douglas Sytsma, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
Definition of needful
Adjective
  • Traumatized into silence, the de facto orphan stays living with the kindly but guilt-ridden, grieving and impecunious Hiroshi.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026
  • Since then, it has been performed across much of the world, being ideally suited to these impecunious times and very masterfully written.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of impecunious

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necessitous
necessity
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Cite this Entry

“Necessitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necessitous. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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