necessary
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nehsuhsuhreeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnɛsəsɛɹi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
Absolutely essential
Unavoidable, inevitable.
noun
(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.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
Used this way, necessary is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Successful and accomplished
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Nearby words
- essential , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use necessary
- “It is necessary to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle for safety.”adjective
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
noun
Sense: (chiefly UK or Rhode Island or Massachusetts or Maine
Antonyms
Sense: required or essential or whether logically inescapable
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.