necessary
/ˈnɛsəsɹɪ/
noun
🇬🇧 UK
/ˈnɛsəsɹɪ/
🇺🇸 US
/ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/
Meaning
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Meaning 1 · noun
(usually with the definite article) A place to do the "necessary" business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.
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Meaning 2 · adjective
Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
“Although I wished to think that all was false, it was yet necessary that I, who thus thought, must in some sense exist.”
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Meaning 3 · adjective
Unavoidable, inevitable.
“If it is absolutely necessary to use public computers, you should plan ahead and forward your e-mail to a temporary, disposable account.”
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Meaning 4 · adjective
Determined, involuntary: acting from compulsion rather than free will.
How this word is used
- Everyday “Although I wished to think that all was false, it was yet necessary that I, who thus thought, must in some sense exist.”
- General “If it is absolutely necessary to use public computers, you should plan ahead and forward your e-mail to a temporary, disposable account.”
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Origin
Origin information unavailable.