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necessary

Syllabification: (nec·es·sar·y)
Pronunciation: /ˈnesəˌserē/

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Definition of necessary

adjective

  • 1required to be done, achieved, or present; needed; essential:members are admitted only after they have gained the necessary experience it’s not necessary for you to be here
  • 2determined, existing, or happening by natural laws or predestination; inevitable:a necessary consequence
  • Philosophy (of a concept, statement, judgment, etc.) inevitably resulting from or produced by the nature of things, so that the contrary is impossible.
  • Philosophy (of an agent) having no independent volition.

noun

(usually necessaries, also necessaries of life)
  • the basic requirements of life, such as food and warmth.
  • small items required for a particular journey or purpose:I hastily threw a few necessaries into a kit bag

Phrases

a necessary evil

something that is undesirable but must be accepted.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin necessarius, from necesse 'needful'

Remember that necessary and the related word necessity are spelled with one c and a double s.it’s necessary to cut some services.

necessary in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of necessary in the British & World English dictionary