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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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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
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necessitous
Adjective
-
Pluto is in your supportive 4th house, guiding conversations with housemates or relatives about necessary shifts.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Mar. 2026
-
What actions are necessary during a red flag warning?—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Indian film follows an impoverished elderly couple whose developmentally disabled son has become a source of shame in their village.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The backstory The program began more than 60 years ago and typically provides medical aid to impoverished communities and rural, underserved areas — often in lower-resource countries like Angola, Guatemala and Venezuela but in some high-income countries as well.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Pundits say the public is too divided, the issues too technical, and the competition with China too urgent for democracy.—
Justin Rosenstein,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Decisions move farther from classrooms, reforms take longer to implement and urgent problems become administrative processes.—
Daniel L Gordon,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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City leaders, however, maintain that the changes threaten jobs and essential services in communities that have depended on card rooms for decades.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Resistance is likely to be strongest among European governments, still shocked by Beijing’s threats last year to cut off supplies of rare earths — essential for clean tech — and worried about further hollowing out their own green industries.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The city of Plano scores restaurants on a 100-point system, with 100 considered a perfect score and 70 extremely poor.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Take, for example, radiation, which with moderate exposures can increase an astronaut’s long-term risk of cancer and with heavy doses can cause acute sickness.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
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His masterful short stories revolve around distinctive characters with profound empathy and acute detail.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?—
Corey Van Landingham,
The New Yorker,
19 June 2023
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They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.—
James Freeman,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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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
-
Cowley graduated in 1920, and for a year and a half lived an adventurous, impecunious Grub Street life in New York, before a fellowship took him, now married, back to France for a master’s in French.—
Michael Gorra,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Necessitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necessitous. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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