1
as in requirement
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
on any road trip, accurate maps are a necessity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
two years of unemployment had reduced the family to abject necessity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of necessity
The long-odds necessity, at this late hour, of rejecting Mamdani is thus not merely a municipal judgment for the Big Apple.
—
MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Even exclusively among civilian payrolls, more essential workers have continued to work without pay than there are furloughed workers, those who at least have the time to work other temporary gigs or the ability to save on usual necessities such as childcare.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
As high-bandwidth activities become the norm, unlimited data has shifted from a luxury to a necessity for many customers.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
But the quickness is a necessity.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for necessity
MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Even exclusively among civilian payrolls, more essential workers have continued to work without pay than there are furloughed workers, those who at least have the time to work other temporary gigs or the ability to save on usual necessities such as childcare.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
As high-bandwidth activities become the norm, unlimited data has shifted from a luxury to a necessity for many customers.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
But the quickness is a necessity.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for necessity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for necessity
Noun
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Qualls will face regular work reporting requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, as well as the quarterly wage checks that Louisiana Medicaid already conducts.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
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The chief appraiser then ensures each of the nominees are in good standing with the property tax code’s requirements.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
By one estimate, 75 of the world’s poorest countries must come up with $22 billion in loan repayments this year, making China more of a debt collector than a development banker and risks driving these countries even deeper into poverty.—
Christopher Smart,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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But some funders care deeply about energy poverty in the Global South and see nuclear as a solution.—
Anna Broughel,
Forbes.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Of course, a stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge is a must, as is a day trip to Muir Woods National Monument to stand beneath towering, centuries-old redwoods.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Oct. 2025
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After shifting power to the people—like a year-plus bus boycott can do, for example—and getting the government to lessen its corruption, cruelty, injustice or violence, defending those gains is a must.—
Michael Shank,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Necessity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/necessity. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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