necessary

noun

A surname.

(chiefly UK, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, archaic, euphemistic, usually with the definite article) A place to do the "necessary" business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.

(obsolete) Necessity.

adjective

Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.

Unavoidable, inevitable.

(obsolete) Determined, involuntary: acting from compulsion rather than free will.

Roots

nene- · Latin · not cederecess- · Latin · yield, withdraw -arius-ary · Latin · pertaining to

Synonyms for necessary

requisiteadj essentialadj requiredadj neededadj needfuladj indispensableadj prerequisiten obligatoryadj mustn mandatoryadj compulsoryadj imperativeadj vitaladj

Synonyms & related words for necessary

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of necessary — including requisite, essential, required, needed, needful, indispensable. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to necessary

Explore words related to necessary — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include necessity, requirement, needfulness, requisitely, indispensably, indispensableness, needs, necessitate. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for necessary

Common synonyms for necessary include requisite, essential, required, needed, needful, indispensable, prerequisite, obligatory — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does necessary come from?

The word necessary breaks down into 3 roots of Latin origin: ne-, from Latin ne (“not”); cess, from Latin cedere (“yield, withdraw”); and -ary, from Latin -arius (“pertaining to”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.