Synonyms of necessity

necessity

noun

ni-ˈse-sə-tē 

1

as in requirement

something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable

on any road trip, accurate maps are a necessity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• requirement
• must
• necessary
• need
• essential
• requisite
• demand
• needful
• must-have
• condition
• prerequisite
• sine qua non
• precondition
• advantage
• plus
• wish
• desideratum
• edge
• desideration

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• surplus
• luxury
• comfort
• extra
• extravagance
• indulgence
• nonnecessity
• nonessential
• superfluity
• surplusage
• frill
• amenity

2

as in poverty

the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions

two years of unemployment had reduced the family to abject necessity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poverty
• misery
• need
• destitution
• impoverishment
• penury
• indigence
• pauperism
• neediness
• beggary
• poorness
• deprivation
• impecuniosity
• impecuniousness
• exigency
• penuriousness
• destituteness
• emergency
• want
• bankruptcy
• wretchedness
• woe
• privation
• gutter
• rainy day
• insolvency
• austerity
• pinching
• belt-tightening
• straitening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wealth
• richness
• affluence
• opulence
• luxury
• prosperity
• wealthiness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of necessity

Ward’s interest in making his own dances came as a practical necessity. — Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

Velia Carboni, chief information officer of consumer appliance business SharkNinja, went even further and defended the lab’s boundary-pushing as a strategic necessity in the AI race. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

In any office environment that can range from boiling to frigid, smart layering is an absolute necessity. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026

Barn jackets were originally designed for outdoor work, particularly on farms, where durable clothing was a necessity. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026