1
as in necessary
impossible to do without
purchase needful provisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
let's first help the needful families in our own community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
fortunately, the family had the needful to stock up the larder before the long hard winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in must
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
packed a warm jacket and other needfuls for an autumn weekend in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of needful
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
That image of God never has a problem, never has a disease, never lacks anything needful or truly desirable, and has never sinned.
—
Douglas Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?
—
Corey Van Landingham,
The New Yorker,
19 June 2023
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—
James Freeman,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2022
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—
Adam Bradley,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—
Matthew Sweet,
The Economist,
4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—
Gordon Monson,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
17 Nov. 2020
What sort of response was needful?
—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
14 Jan. 2013
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—
The Editors,
National Review,
5 May 2023
Adjective
Her voice is slurred, needful, abject.
—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
That image of God never has a problem, never has a disease, never lacks anything needful or truly desirable, and has never sinned.
—
Douglas Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?
—
Corey Van Landingham,
The New Yorker,
19 June 2023
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—
James Freeman,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2022
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—
Adam Bradley,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—
Matthew Sweet,
The Economist,
4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—
Gordon Monson,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
17 Nov. 2020
What sort of response was needful?
—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
14 Jan. 2013
Noun
The actor did indeed ‘get it together’ and is doing the needful to make things official.
—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—
The Editors,
National Review,
5 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needful
Adjective
-
She's seen these parents put off their own health, including necessary surgeries.
-
Simple, age-appropriate conversations about device use could help children understand the difference between necessary engagement and recreation.
Adjective
-
Rebecca Lowe joins Dan Patrick to discuss some of the top storylines around the World Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo's poor play to start, the United States' potential and more.
-
Will the gap between rural and urban America – and the gap between rich and poor America – decline or grow?
Noun
-
Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY.
-
Nathan quickly discovered that limited money forces difficult choices.
Noun
-
Large drainage holes, however, are a must.
-
One exception is modern glass houses, which maximize views and are a must for all oceanfront builds, old or new.
Adjective
-
Those approvals allow crews to begin building essential site infrastructure before full production activities start.
-
Therefore, building mental endurance is essential to staving off decision fatigue and reducing the judgment errors that tend to surface when a leader's cognitive reserves run low.
Adjective
-
Among the Cambodians to exploit the instability was Toek Tik, a once-impoverished former Khmer Rouge foot soldier whose confessions helped investigators substantiate some of their claims against Latchford.
-
And the people who got trapped behind—and who are now the impoverished mass of the remaining Cuban population—are the descendants of the slave population, or those who intermarried with the slave population.
Noun
-
Conley also has the most campaign cash, with $940,000 on hand.
-
This anonymous political cash is commonly known as dark money, and its prevalence is growing.
Noun
-
Now, the one-year grace period for the act’s mandatory registration requirements has ended, meaning agencies must be registered as model management companies or groups with the New York Department of Labor (NYDL) to better enable models to discern legitimate representation.
-
The White House promoted the work requirements along with a reduction in immigrant participants.
Cite this Entry
“Needful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needful. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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