necessity

B2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /nɪˈsɛsəti/ See IPA manual

Freq #10096

Meanings

1

noun
Something you must have; an essential thing.

A warm coat is a necessity in winter.
2

noun
The fact of being needed or unavoidable.

I bought a new table out of necessity, as my old one had broken.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · something you must have; an... requisite essential

2 noun · the fact of being needed or... inevitabilityneedfulness

Opposites

contingency impossibility luxury

Word family

Forms necessities

Derived forms necessitariannecessitiednecessitousneedcessitynonnecessityunnecessity

Related forms necessariness necessary necessitate necessitationnecessitativenecessitousness necessitude

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

of necessity
because the circumstances make something unavoidable

Preposition + noun

Proverbs (3)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English necessite, from Old French necessite, from Latin necessitās (“unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity”), from necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”); see necessary. Doublet of Necessitas.

necessite Middle English necessitās Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# necessity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /nɪˈsɛsəti/
**Frequency rank:** 10096

## Meanings
1. Something you must have; an essential thing.
2. The fact of being needed or unavoidable.

## Examples
- A warm coat is a necessity in winter.
- I bought a new table out of necessity, as my old one had broken.

## Antonyms
- contingency
- impossibility
- luxury

## Derived Forms
- necessitarian
- necessitied
- necessitous
- needcessity
- nonnecessity
- unnecessity

## Related Forms
- necessariness
- necessary
- necessitate
- necessitation
- necessitative
- necessitousness
- necessitude

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: necessite
- Root: necessitās

## Etymology
From Middle English necessite, from Old French necessite, from Latin necessitās (“unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity”), from necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”); see necessary. Doublet of Necessitas.

## AI Etymology
Necessity comes from Middle English necessite, from Old French necessite, from Latin necessitās (“unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity”), from necesse (“unavoidable, inevitable”); see necessary. Doublet of Necessitas. Modern senses include something you must have; an essential thing and the fact of being needed or unavoidable. The wider word family includes derivatives such as necessitarian, necessitied, necessitous, needcessity, nonnecessity, and unnecessity and related forms such as necessariness, necessary, necessitate, and necessitation.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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