necessary

[ nes-uh-ser-ee ]

adjective

1. essential, indispensable, or requisite:

   The rotor is a necessary part of the motor.

   Synonyms: needed

   Antonyms: dispensable

2. happening or existing by necessity:

   The snow has forced a necessary change in our plans.

3. acting or proceeding from compulsion or necessity; not free; involuntary:

   a necessary agent.

4. Logic.
   1. (of a proposition) such that a denial of it involves a self-contradiction.
   2. (of an inference or argument) such that its conclusion cannot be false if its supporting premises are true.
   3. (of a condition) such that it must exist if a given event is to occur or a given thing is to exist. Compare sufficient ( def 2 ).

noun

, plural nec·es·sar·ies.

1. something necessary or required for a particular purpose; necessity.

   Synonyms: essential, requisite, requirement

2. necessaries, Law. food, clothing, etc., required by a dependent person and varying with their social or economic position or that of the person upon whom they are dependent.
3. Chiefly New England. a privy or toilet.

necessary

/ ˈnɛsɪsərɪ /

adjective

1. needed to achieve a certain desired effect or result; required
2. resulting from necessity; inevitable

   the necessary consequences of your action

3. logic
   1. (of a statement, formula, etc) true under all interpretations or in all possible circumstances
   2. (of a proposition) determined to be true by its meaning, so that its denial would be self-contradictory
   3. (of a property) essential, so that without it its subject would not be the entity it is
   4. (of an inference) always yielding a true conclusion when its premises are true; valid
   5. (of a condition) entailed by the truth of some statement or the obtaining of some state of affairs Compare sufficient
4. philosophy (in a nonlogical sense) expressing a law of nature, so that if it is in this sense necessary that all As are B, even although it is not contradictory to conceive of an A which is not B, we are licensed to infer that if something were an A it would have to be B
5. rare.
   compelled, as by necessity or law; not free

noun

1. the necessary informal.
   the money required for a particular purpose
2. do the necessary informal.
   to do something that is necessary in a particular situation

Other Words From

• neces·sari·ness noun
• quasi-neces·sary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of necessary¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English necessarie, from Latin necessārius “unavoidable, inevitable, needful,” equivalent to necess(e) (neuter indeclinable adjective) “unavoidable, necessary” + -ārius -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of necessary¹

C14: from Latin necessārius indispensable, from necesse unavoidable

Synonym Study

Necessary, essential, indispensable, requisite indicate something vital for the fulfillment of a need. Necessary applies to something without which a condition cannot be fulfilled or to an inevitable consequence of certain events, conditions, etc.: Food is necessary to life. Multiplicity is a necessary result of division. Indispensable applies to something that cannot be done without or removed from the rest of a unitary condition: Food is indispensable to living things. He made himself indispensable as a companion. Something that is essential forms a vitally necessary condition of something: Air is essential to red-blooded animals. It is essential to understand the matter clearly. Requisite applies to what is thought necessary to fill out, complete, or perfect something: She had all the requisite qualifications for a position.

Example Sentences

In a heavy Italian accent, the son tells his dad, “It’s in there,” every time his father rattles off each necessary ingredient for the perfect sauce.

From Salon

It also expressed a commitment to “swiftly take the necessary measures to uncover the details, circumstances and motives of the incident”.

From BBC

Driving much of the labor tensions is the fear of AI, which many studio executives see as a necessary way to save money and stay ahead technologically.

From Los Angeles Times

The Guardian suggests she will tell business leaders that they have offered "no alternative" to her plans, and that it was necessary to "wipe the slate clean" following the General Election.

From BBC

The sites were approved this summer as a temporary, but some argue necessary, solution while indoor shelters are at-capacity.

From BBC

Related Words

• basic
• crucial
• decisive
• essential
• fundamental
• imperative
• indispensable
• mandatory
• needed
• paramount
• required
• significant
• unavoidable
• urgent
• vital