Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

need

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of need

1 a state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful
  • when it came time to wrap the presents, he found he was in need of adhesive tape
Synonyms of need

absence, lack, needfulness, want
Words Related to need

deficiency, deficit, inadequacy, insufficiency

dearth, meagerness, paucity, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, skimpiness

defect, minus

deprivation, famishment, privation

demand, essential, necessity, requirement, requisite
Near Antonyms of need

adequacy, enough, sufficiency

fund, pool, stock, supply

excess, fill, overabundance, oversupply, plenty, surfeit, surplus

hoard, stockpile
2 something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
  • got a job that barely provided for his basic needs
Synonyms of need

condition, demand, essential, must, must-have, necessary, necessity, needful, requirement, requisite, sine qua non
Words Related to need

precondition, prerequisite

advantage, edge, plus

desideration, desideratum, wish
Near Antonyms of need

amenity, comfort, extra, extravagance, frill, indulgence, luxury, superfluity, surplus, surplusage
Antonyms of need

nonessential, nonnecessity
3 something one must do because of prior agreement
  • no need to apologize
Synonyms of need

burden, charge, commitment, devoir, do [archaic], duty, imperative, incumbency, obligation, office, responsibility
Words Related to need

oath, pledge, promise, troth, vow, word

arrangement, prearrangement, setup

compact, contract, covenant, pact, trust

debt, payment, tribute

compulsion, constraint, restraint

must, requirement

coercion, duress, force

appointment, engagement, reservation

burden, onus
Near Antonyms of need

grace, postponement, stay

discharge, ease, exemption, release, relief, waiver

loophole

alternative, choice, option, pick, preference, selection
4 the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
  • donating money to help those in need
Synonyms of need

beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence, necessity, neediness, pauperism, penuriousness, penury, poorness, poverty, want
Words Related to need

gutter, misery, woe, wretchedness

exigency

emergency, rainy day

austerity, deprivation, privation

bankruptcy, insolvency

belt-tightening, pinching, straitening
Near Antonyms of need

luxury, prosperity
Antonyms of need

affluence, opulence, richness, wealth, wealthiness

need

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of need

1 to have as a requirement
  • a national crisis that needs a strong leader to solve it
Synonyms of need

bear, challenge, claim, demand, necessitate, require, take, want, warrant
Words Related to need

entail, involve

ask, beg, claim, clamor (for), cry (for)

hurt (for), lack

command, enjoin, exact, insist, press, quest, stipulate
Phrases Synonymous with need

call for
Near Antonyms of need

own, possess
Antonyms of need

have, hold
2 to be under necessity or obligation to
  • you need not stand when she enters the room
Synonyms of need

have (to), must, ought (to), shall, should
Words Related to need

will

Learn More about need

  1. See words that rhyme with need Dictionary: Definition of need Spanish Central: Translation of need Nglish: Translation of need for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of need for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about need

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up need? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

apotheosis

the perfect form or example of something

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  2. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

  3. apoplectic Bezos writes post about Pecker

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games