Synonyms of needed

needed 1 of 2

adjective

as in necessary

impossible to do without

pack only what will be needed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• necessary
• required
• essential
• needful
• integral
• vital
• imperative
• critical
• crucial
• important
• requisite
• must-have
• indispensable
• all-important
• mandatory
• of the essence
• compulsory
• prerequisite
• basic
• key
• necessitous
• urgent
• major
• meaningful
• fundamental
• obligatory
• organic
• substantial
• significant
• momentous
• central
• pressing
• persistent
• insistent
• consequential
• nonelective
• material
• weighty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unnecessary
• needless
• nonessential
• extra
• unwanted
• unneeded
• undesired
• dispensable
• unimportant
• insignificant
• excess
• external
• unessential
• superfluous
• inessential
• surplus
• inconsequential
• extraneous

needed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of need

as in required

to have as a requirement

a national crisis that needs a strong leader to solve it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• required
• wanted
• took
• demanded
• involved
• necessitated
• challenged
• claimed
• warranted
• called for
• bore
• asked
• entailed
• begged
• lacked
• insisted
• hurt (for)
• cried (for)
• stipulated
• clamored (for)
• enjoined
• exacted
• pressed
• commanded
• quested

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• had
• held
• owned
• possessed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of needed

Adjective

Policy changes that disrupt pharmacy operations can also threaten home-delivery options and leave patients with fewer reliable ways to receive needed medication. — L. Prather McKinnon, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

Looking ahead, a pattern change brings our next chance of needed rain heading into the first week of November. — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Diesel is at an all-time high because of the war; every item in your grocery store was shipped there by truck and needed diesel. — Serena Maria Daniels, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026

Communication breakdowns may leave patients unaware of available services, while a lack of referrals can keep them from receiving needed care. — Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026

Schools closed before Isaias swept through the region last Friday and have been scrambling to make needed repairs to facilities while awaiting power restoration. — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Many shelters are operated by nonprofit organizations but owned by the city or private entities, limiting the nonprofit’s ability to make needed improvements. — Jeffrey Ginsburg, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Among the boundaries that have been breached, according to the new report, are carbon dioxide concentrations, which reached a record 426 parts per million (ppm) because fossil fuel burning had not decreased at nearly the needed pace. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026

Attentive leaders explore more diverse, needed and applicable professional development that enables their workforce. — Kellie Lauth, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Verb

By January 2025, Paulina Mangubat knew the Democratic National Committee needed to change its digital communications approach dramatically. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026

Democrats must not waste time pressing impeachments, open borders, wealth taxes or even Supreme Court reform as much as it is needed. — James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026

Engineers could then simulate different operating conditions to estimate how the equipment might behave and determine when maintenance is needed. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026

Key Takeaways Research on drinking water and temperature involves older studies and small sample sizes, so more study is needed. — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 8 Nov. 2026

Bell needed a miracle contention to take home the title — a win, 14 stage points (or 13 stage points and the fastest lap point) and a bad day for Larson. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2026

Silva’s scoring hadn’t been needed in the previous wins over Oral Roberts and Le Moyne, but more showings like Sunday’s will be expected as the schedule becomes more challenging. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2026

The Wall Street Journal reports that the ship's launch was delayed at the beginning because the boat needed repairs. — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026

More research is needed to determine whether the findings apply to other groups. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026