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 absence, lack, needfulness, want Related Words 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 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 condition, demand, must, must-have, necessary, necessity, essential, needful, requirement, requisite, sine qua nonRelated Words precondition, prerequisite; advantage, edge, plus; desideration, desideratum, wishNear Antonyms amenity, comfort, extra, extravagance, frill, indulgence, luxury, superfluity, surplus, surplusageAntonyms nonessential, nonnecessity

3 something one must do because of prior agreement no need to apologize Synonyms burden, charge, commitment, devoir, do [archaic], duty, imperative, incumbency, obligation, office, responsibilityRelated Words 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, onusNear Antonyms 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 beggary, destituteness, destitution, impecuniosity, impecuniousness, impoverishment, indigence, necessity, poverty, neediness, pauperism, penuriousness, penury, poorness, wantRelated Words gutter, misery, woe, wretchedness; exigency; emergency, rainy day; austerity, deprivation, privation; bankruptcy, insolvency; belt-tightening, pinching, straiteningNear Antonyms luxury, prosperityAntonyms affluence, opulence, richness, wealth, wealthiness