necessity
3 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
necessities
plural
necessities
Britannica Dictionary definition of NECESSITY
1
[count]
:
something that you must have or do
:
something that is necessary
-
Sunscreen is an absolute necessity for the beach.
-
food, clothes, and other basic necessities
-
Getting plenty of rest is a necessity.
-
Without a car, living close to work is a necessity.
-
All we took with us on our hiking trip were the bare necessities.
-
Many families cannot even afford the basic/bare necessities of life. [=things that a person must have in order to survive]
2
[noncount]
formal
:
the quality of being necessary
— usually + of or for
-
She talked about the necessity of having the right training. [=she said that having the right training is necessary]
-
He questioned the necessity for the change. [=he questioned whether the change was necessary]
by necessity
or out of necessity
:
because of conditions that cannot be changed
-
The process is by necessity a slow one. [=the process is necessarily slow; the slowness of the process cannot be avoided]
-
He works two jobs out of necessity. [=because it is necessary]
make a virtue (out) of necessity
necessity is the mother of invention
of necessity
formal
— used to say that something must happen or must be the way it is
-
Further changes to the company will occur of necessity.
