as in must
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
an extensive grounding in mathematics is a sine qua non for a career in architecture
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Recent Examples of sine qua non
At that point, sunglasses lose their sine qua non purpose to protect our eyes, becoming a purely ornamental element capable of elevating an entire outfit.
—
Teresa Romero Martínez, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2025
The sine qua non for an economic deal is that Ukrainian leadership wants a peace deal.
—CBS News, 2 Mar. 2025
For those in Mnangagwa’s Lacoste faction, direct experience in the liberation war is a sine qua non for any successor candidate.
—Philip Martin, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2017
Both machines must be designed for ridiculously demanding environments—the sine qua non is ultrafast and ultra-accurate logging and triage of billions of events per second in a typhoon of radiation under magnetic fields otherwise found only in MRI machines.
—Douglas McCormick, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Sep. 2012
See All Example Sentences for sine qua non
Teresa Romero Martínez, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2025
The sine qua non for an economic deal is that Ukrainian leadership wants a peace deal.
—CBS News, 2 Mar. 2025
For those in Mnangagwa’s Lacoste faction, direct experience in the liberation war is a sine qua non for any successor candidate.
—Philip Martin, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2017
Both machines must be designed for ridiculously demanding environments—the sine qua non is ultrafast and ultra-accurate logging and triage of billions of events per second in a typhoon of radiation under magnetic fields otherwise found only in MRI machines.
—Douglas McCormick, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Sep. 2012
See All Example Sentences for sine qua non
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sine qua non
Noun
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Some are absolute musts, like clearing out any asbestos and making sure the plumbing is up to current standard.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Made from ceramic and featuring a 40-ounce capacity, the pitcher doubles as a vessel for beverages and floral arrangements—a must for spring hosting and entertaining.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Advertisement Henderson noted that 486 voters had registration information that was incomplete or inaccurate and that a third of that group registered decades ago, when the state did not have the same requirements.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Abhisek, my personal butler, looked after my every requirement while offering a wealth of insight into local customs, food and architecture.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Laurent Yoon, media analyst with Bernstein, sees WBD as a necessity for Paramount but one that will not be easy on the rank and file tasked with running the businesses.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
-
For one thing, economic necessity appears to be on the side of the youth movement.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sine qua non.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sine%20qua%20non. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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