Something that is necessary is needed in order for something else to happen.
I kept the engine running because it might be necessary to leave fast. [+ to-infinitive]
We will do whatever is necessary to stop them.
Is that really necessary?
Make the necessary arrangements.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A necessary consequence or connection must happen or exist, because of the nature of the things or events involved.
Wastage was no doubt a necessary consequence of war.
Scientific work has a necessary connection with the idea of progress.
Synonyms: inevitable, sure, certain, unavoidable More Synonyms of necessary
3. plural noun
Necessaries are things, such as food or clothing, that you need to have in order to live.
[old-fashioned]
...a small parcel of necessaries tied up in a handkerchief and carried on a stick.
4.
See if necessary/when necessary/where necessary
usage note: Be careful with the spelling of this word.
More Synonyms of necessary
necessary in British English
(ˈnɛsɪsərɪ)
adjective
1.
needed to achieve a certain desired effect or result; required
2.
resulting from necessity; inevitable
the necessary consequences of your action
3. logic
a.
(of a statement, formula, etc) true under all interpretations or in all possible circumstances
b.
(of a proposition) determined to be true by its meaning, so that its denial would be self-contradictory
c.
(of a property) essential, so that without it its subject would not be the entity it is
d.
(of an inference) always yielding a true conclusion when its premises are true; valid
e.
(of a condition) entailed by the truth of some statement or the obtaining of some state of affairs
Compare sufficient (sense 2)
4. philosophy
(in a nonlogical sense) expressing a law of nature, so that if it is in this sense necessary that all As are B, even although it is not contradictory to conceive of an A which is not B, we are licensed to infer that if something were an A it would have to be B
5. rare
compelled, as by necessity or law; not free
noun
6. the necessary
7. do the necessary
Word origin
C14: from Latin necessārius indispensable, from necesse unavoidable
necessary in American English
(ˈnɛsəˌsɛri)
adjective
1.
that cannot be dispensed with; essential; indispensable
the nutriments necessary to life
2.
resulting from necessity; inevitable
a necessary result
3.
a.
that must be done; mandatory; not voluntary
b.
not free to choose; compelled by circumstances
a necessary agent
4.
inherent in the situation; undeniable; unavoidable from the premises
5. Archaic
rendering some essential and intimate service
nounWord forms: pluralˈnecesˌsaries
6.
a necessary thing; thing essential to life, some purpose, etc.
often used in pl.
7. Dialectal
a privy or toilet
8. [pl.]; Law
those things essential to maintaining a dependent or incompetent in comfort and well-being
SIMILAR WORDS: esˈsential
Word origin
ME < L necessarius < necesse, unavoidable, necessary < ne-, not + cedere, to give way: see cede
COBUILD Collocations
necessary
absolutely necessary
Examples of 'necessary' in a sentence
necessary
Is it absolutely necessary for populist politicians to have absurd hair?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
What further steps may be necessary will depend on the miners.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The first thing to do is to think hard about whether it is really necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Some of the necessary steps towards true excellence will be straightforward.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Total prohibition cannot be enforced successfully unless there is a general conviction that such a step is really necessary for victory.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
In adulthood, it should recover and treatment may be necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They insisted that the cull was necessary to stop them from destroying large trees and blocking rivers in a habitat with no natural predators.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
MPs said that it was better for the regulator to examine and if necessary reject such deals head-on rather than take enforcement action afterwards.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She couldn't bear the thought of her house being sold so we mapped out a plan for when and if a care home becomes necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Beyond implementing the new framework, further regulation may not be necessary, she added.
Computing (2010)
Those who have rheumatoid arthritis may find it necessary to have regular eye examinations.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley (ed) The Medicine Chest - your family's guide to prescription drugs (1988)
The outlook for people with this problem is not good and drug treatment is almost always necessary.
Petch, Dr Michael BMA Family Doctor Guide - Heart Disease (1989)
You have to counteract and take the necessary steps to stop them.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We have to take steps necessary to restore trust.
The Sun (2009)
Resist turning on the heating in the day unless it is absolutely necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This is becoming increasingly necessary as cars become larger and wider.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Please let us have the law enforced where necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They are necessary conditions of his existence.
Peter F. Drucker THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER (2001)
Some might ask whether dramatic changes in how we do things are really necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
These may be the necessary niceties of realistic diplomacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Special efforts to find waste are therefore always necessary.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGING FOR RESULTS (1986)
These are necessary to stop his body from rejecting the new marrow.
The Sun (2010)
The courts will take the necessary steps.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It was absolutely necessary to have our principal pieces tied to the club.
The Sun (2012)
The changes that now become necessary are drastic.
Vera Peiffer POSITIVELY FEARLESS: Breaking free of the fears that hold you back (2001)
Fiscal conservatism is therefore a necessary condition of a prudent government.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Such a law will be necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
To carry out such an objective investigation, it was necessary first to examine the relations of production.
Henry, John F The Making of Neoclassical Economics (1990)
It is necessary to examine the ideological argument, therefore, a little more closely.
Walklate, Sandra Victimology - the victim and the criminal justice process (1989)
In other languages
necessary
British English: necessary /ˈnɛsɪsərɪ/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is necessary is needed to get a particular result or effect.