necessitous

[ nuh-ses-i-tuhs ]

adjective

1. destitute or impoverished; needy; indigent:

   to aid a necessitous young mother.

2. being essential or unavoidable:

   a necessitous discharge of responsibilities.

3. requiring immediate attention or action; urgent:

   the necessitous demands of the oil shortage.

necessitous

/ nɪˈsɛsɪtəs /

adjective

1. very needy; destitute; poverty-stricken

Derived Forms

• neˈcessitously, adverb

Other Words From

• ne·cessi·tous·ly adverb
• ne·cessi·tous·ness noun
• nonne·cessi·tous adjective
• nonne·cessi·tous·ly adverb
• nonne·cessi·tous·ness noun
• unne·cessi·tous adjective
• unne·cessi·tous·ly adverb
• unne·cessi·tous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of necessitous¹

First recorded in 1605–15; necessit(y) + -ous

Example Sentences

Back in 1933, Franklin Roosevelt, in his inaugural address, pointed out that "a necessitous man is not a free man."

From Salon

As memories of subsistence struggles recede, people who are no longer necessitous are indeed free — free to use politics for unpleasant self-expression.

From Washington Post

“If you just can’t get ‘necessitous’ out, and the author’s happy with it, you can go for ‘needy’.”

From The Guardian

FDR said “necessitous men are not free men,” implying that government can and should remove necessity from the human story.

From Washington Post

Fired workers can collect unemployment, but the court says those who quit don’t get compensation unless they have a “necessitous and compelling” reason for leaving the job.

From Seattle Times