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
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
Yet there’s always a childlike sense to both his anger and his neediness, having been denied the milk of human kindness by his maker.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley are adorable in their bromance, the former’s combination of confidence and neediness playing against the latter’s oddball sense of humor.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
Yet there’s always a childlike sense to both his anger and his neediness, having been denied the milk of human kindness by his maker.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley are adorable in their bromance, the former’s combination of confidence and neediness playing against the latter’s oddball sense of humor.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neediness
Noun
-
Now, the anti-wealth Marxist agenda taking over the Democratic Party is worsening the divide, turning blue-state economies into wastelands and condemning their least mobile residents to poverty.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
But in North Texas alone, parts of the region still struggle with persistent poverty.—
Wilborn P. Nobles III,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Inarguably one of the best teams in the country annually, the Boilermakers had a string of March miseries.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The world holds so much misery that miserable hearts forget the face of happiness.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Neediness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neediness. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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