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necessity

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noun American English pronunciation: necessity /nəˈsesəti/ 
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singularnecessity
pluralnecessities
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Related dictionary definitions

  1. 1
    [uncountable] a process, thing, or action that is needed in a situation
    necessity for:

    the necessity for a strong diplomatic effort

    necessity of (doing) something:

    doubts about the necessity of the war

    out of necessity (=because it is necessary):

    Women increasingly went out to work, usually out of economic necessity.

    necessity to do something:

    We both recognize the necessity to get this right.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of necessity
    1. a.
      [countable] [usually singular] something that is difficult or unpleasant but cannot be avoided

      Raising taxes has become a necessity.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of necessity
  2. 2
    [countable] something that you must have in order to live, work, or do something

    A car is a necessity in this town.

    the bare necessities (=the basic things that everyone needs):

    They lacked even the bare necessities of life.

    basic necessities like milk and bread

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of necessity

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This is the American English definition of necessity. View British English definition of necessity.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for necessity.

 

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