necessary
/'nesisəri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Required to be done, achieved, or present; needed; essential: Something that is "necessary" must happen or exist because it is required by circumstances, logic, or natural law.
- Inevitably resulting from or logically following from conditions: A "necessary" outcome or conclusion is one that is certain and unavoidable given the preceding facts or premises.
Noun:
- A thing that is needed or essential: "Necessaries" (often used in plural) are items or conditions required for a particular purpose or for basic living.
- (The necessary) Informal: A term for money needed for a purpose, or (dated British informal) a toilet.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- A passport is necessary for international travel.
- It is necessary to drink water to survive.
- Given the evidence, a guilty verdict was a necessary conclusion.
Noun:
- The government provided food and other necessaries to the refugees.
- I've packed all the necessaries for the camping trip.
- (Informal) He went to the bank to get the necessary for the car payment.
Advanced Usage
Philosophical/Logical Necessity: In logic and philosophy, a "necessary" condition is one without which something cannot occur or be true. Its counterpart is a "sufficient" condition.
- Oxygen is a necessary condition for combustion, but it is not sufficient on its own (you also need fuel and heat).
Necessary Evil: A common idiom describing something undesirable that must be accepted or endured to achieve a beneficial result.
- Paying taxes is often seen as a necessary evil.
Variants and Related Words
- Necessitate (verb): To make something necessary as a result or requirement.
- The storm necessitated a change of plans.
- Necessity (noun): The state or fact of being required or unavoidable; an indispensable thing.
- Water is a basic necessity of life.
- Necessarily (adverb): As a necessary result; inevitably.
- Expensive food is not necessarily better.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Essential, required, needed, indispensable, vital, mandatory, obligatory, inevitable, unavoidable.
- Noun: Requirement, essential, requisite, prerequisite, need.
Antonyms
- Adjective: Unnecessary, superfluous, optional, dispensable, nonessential, avoidable.
- Noun: Luxury, extra, nonessential.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- If necessary: Used to indicate what will be done if it becomes required.
- We can postpone the meeting if necessary.
- A necessary part of: An essential component.
- Trust is a necessary part of any strong relationship.
- Do the necessary: (Informal) To do what is required in a situation.
- I'll do the necessary to get the project back on track.
Adjective
- unavoidably determined by prior circumstances
- the necessary consequences of one's actions
- absolutely essential
Noun
- anything indispensable
- food and shelter are necessities of life
- the essentials of the good life
- allow farmers to buy their requirements under favorable conditions
- a place where the requisites of water fuel and fodder can be obtained