as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
a family's general level of neediness is the determining factor in the allocation of charitable donations
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Recent Examples of neediness
To play Duncan Park, the head of a data-mining company who’s desperate to join the upper tier of the tech industry hierarchy in the AMC drama The Audacity, Billy Magnussen has to find a deep well of neediness and striving.
—
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2026
Is Suzanna’s gloomy neediness all that different from Becky’s gold-digging manipulations?
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
Fontana is wearing a little thin on me with the constant neediness for approval.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
But wanting emotional consistency is not neediness.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
She was sandwiched between their needinesses.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
On the second take, Russell’s bossy tone rubbed up nicely against the neediness of the moment.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
As Koestler observes, crying is a signal not just of surrender but of neediness, designed to elicit succor and comfort from sympathizers.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, Shannon is down in the dumps and annoyed by Tamra’s neediness to be forgiven for past sins.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2026
Is Suzanna’s gloomy neediness all that different from Becky’s gold-digging manipulations?
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
Fontana is wearing a little thin on me with the constant neediness for approval.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
But wanting emotional consistency is not neediness.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
She was sandwiched between their needinesses.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
On the second take, Russell’s bossy tone rubbed up nicely against the neediness of the moment.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
As Koestler observes, crying is a signal not just of surrender but of neediness, designed to elicit succor and comfort from sympathizers.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, Shannon is down in the dumps and annoyed by Tamra’s neediness to be forgiven for past sins.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neediness
Noun
-
Often, the recruits came from troubled homes or were living in poverty.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
Whenever discussions surrounding Connecticut potential come up, Hartford is often brought up across the lens of crime statistics, poverty levels, underfunded schools, or financial instability.—
Kenneth Okeke,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The world may have looked grim in what was also a penultimate week before elections, when the focus becomes necessarily not on joy but misery, the political premise being the winning candidate is the one who makes the electorate the angriest.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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Plus, to your other point, any contender is one injury away from misery, as the Warriors have shown with Stephen Curry in recent years or the Pacers showed with Tyrese Halliburton this season (while accepting the Celtics as an outlier).—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Neediness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neediness. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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