necessary
Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
Example
“Although I wished to think that all was false, it was yet necessary that I, who thus thought, must in some sense exist.”
Other meanings
Unavoidable, inevitable.
“If it is absolutely necessary to use public computers, you should plan ahead and forward your e-mail to a temporary, disposable account.”
Determined, involuntary: acting from compulsion rather than free will.
Related words
- equinecessary
- innecessary
- necessarian
- nonnecessary
- seminecessary
- necessarily
- necessary condition
- necessary evil
- necessary room
- necessary woman
- socially necessary labour time
Example sentences
Word history
From Latin "necessārius" (unavoidable, inevitable, required).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “necessary” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.