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If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.
Edward Bellamy

Meaning of "necessity" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF NECESSITY

necessity  [nɪˈsɛsɪtɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF NECESSITY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Necessity is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES NECESSITY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Necessity

In U.S. criminal law, necessity may be either a possible justification or an exculpation for breaking the law. Defendants seeking to rely on this defense argue that they should not be held liable for their actions as a crime because their conduct was necessary to prevent some greater harm and when that conduct is not excused under some other more specific provision of law such as self defense. Except for a few statutory exemptions and in some medical cases there is no corresponding defense in English law for murder. For example, a drunk driver might contend that he drove his car to get away from a kidnap. Most common law and civil law jurisdictions recognize this defense, but only under limited circumstances. Generally, the defendant must affirmatively show that the harm he sought to avoid outweighs the danger of the prohibited conduct he is charged with; he had no reasonable alternative; he ceased to engage in the prohibited conduct as soon as the danger passed; and he did not himself create the danger he sought to avoid.

Definition of necessity in the English dictionary

The first definition of necessity in the dictionary is something needed for a desired result; prerequisite. Other definition of necessity is a condition or set of circumstances, such as physical laws or social rules, that inevitably requires a certain result. Necessity is also the state or quality of being obligatory or unavoidable.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH NECESSITY


authenticity
ˌɔːθɛnˈtɪsɪtɪ
biodiversity
ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ
capacity
kəˈpæsɪtɪ
city
ˈsɪtɪ
complexity
kəmˈplɛksɪtɪ
curiosity
ˌkjʊərɪˈɒsɪtɪ
density
ˈdɛnsɪtɪ
diversity
daɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ
electricity
ɪlɛkˈtrɪsɪtɪ
ethnicity
ɛθˈnɪsɪtɪ
intensity
ɪnˈtɛnsɪtɪ
needcessity
ˌniːdˈsɛsɪtɪ
nonnecessity
ˌnɒnnəˈsɛsɪtɪ
publicity
pʌˈblɪsɪtɪ
simplicity
sɪmˈplɪsɪtɪ
specificity
ˌspesɪˈfɪsɪtɪ
toxicity
tɒkˈsɪsɪtɪ
university
ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ
varsity
ˈvɑːsɪtɪ
velocity
vɪˈlɒsɪtɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE NECESSITY

necessaire
necessarian
necessarianism
necessaries
necessarily
necessariness
necessary
necessary condition
necessitarian
necessitarianism
necessitate
necessitation
necessitative
necessitied
necessities
necessitous
necessitously
necessitousness
neck
neck and neck

WORDS THAT END LIKE NECESSITY

adversity
animosity
biological diversity
bone density
current density
fabulosity
high-density
luminosity
make a virtue of necessity
monstrosity
morbid obesity
obesity
of necessity
Open University
porosity
propensity
State university
tensity
the Open University
viscosity

Synonyms and antonyms of necessity in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «NECESSITY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «necessity» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of necessity

Translation of «necessity» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF NECESSITY

Find out the translation of necessity to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of necessity from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «necessity» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

必要性
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

necesidad
570 millions of speakers

English

necessity
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

आवश्यकता
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

ضَرُورَةٌ
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

необходимость
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

necessidade
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

অপরিহার্যতা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

nécessité
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Keperluan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Notwendigkeit
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

必要性
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

필요성
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Kabutuhan
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

sự cần thiết
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

தேவை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

गरज
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

zorunluluk
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

necessità
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

potrzeba
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

необхідність
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

necesitate
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αναγκαιότητα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

noodsaaklikheid
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

nödvändighet
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

nødvendighet
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of necessity

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «NECESSITY»

The term «necessity» is very widely used and occupies the 13.647 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
94
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «necessity» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of necessity
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «necessity».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «NECESSITY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «necessity» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «necessity» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about necessity

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «NECESSITY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word necessity.
1
Bernard Barton
No age, sex, or condition is above or below the absolute necessity of modesty; but without it one is vastly beneath the rank of man.
2
Saint Basil
All of us who desire the kingdom of God are, by the Lord's decree, under an equal and rigorous necessity of seeking after the grace of Baptism.
3
Edward Bellamy
If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.
4
Bruce Beresford
With Cold Sassy Tree having its first production, I saw no necessity to do anything other than produce it with the correct setting.
5
Benjamin Bratt
Well, for me, the real excitement of doing physical things in films, whether you're talking about a fight scene or a stunt sequence or even a love scene, for that matter, is by necessity it has to be choreographed very much like a dance. That being said, you have to rehearse it over and over again and find a mathematical precision.
6
Martin Van Buren
My conviction of the necessity of further legislative provisions for the safe-keeping and disbursement of the public moneys and my opinion in regard to the measures best adapted to the accomplishment of those objects have been already submitted to you.
7
Nicholas M. Butler
Necessity does the work of courage.
8
Enrico Caruso
It was he who impressed, time and again, the necessity of singing as nature intended, and - I remember - he constantly warned, don't let the public know that you work. So I went slowly. I never forced the voice.
9
Margaret Cavendish
And though my Lord hath lost his estate and been banished out of his country, yet neither despised poverty nor pinching necessity could make him break the bonds of friendship or weaken his loyal duty.
10
Margaret Cavendish
Not because they were servants were we so reserved, for many noble persons are forced to serve through necessity, but by reason the vulgar sort of servants are as ill bred as meanly born, giving children ill examples and worse counsel.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «NECESSITY»

Discover the use of necessity in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to necessity and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Naming and Necessity
If there is such a thing as essential reading in metaphysics or in philosophy of language, this is it. Ever since the publication of its original version, Naming and Necessity has had great and increasing influence.
Saul A. Kripke, 1980
2
Necessity, Volition, and Love
This collection of essays complements an earlier collection published by Cambridge, The Importance of What We Care About. Some of the essays develop lines of thought found in the earlier volume.
Harry G. Frankfurt, 1999
3
Shame and Necessity
Williams explains how it is that when the ancients speak, they do not merely tell us about themselves, but about ourselves. In a new foreword A.A. Long explores the impact of this volume in the context of Williams's stunning career.
A. A. Long, Bernard Williams, Bernard Williams, 2008
4
Necessity and National Emergency Clauses: Sovereignty in ...
Unveiling the complex dynamic between State sovereignty and necessity doctrine as historically practiced in international political relations, this book proposes analytical criteria to assess the lawfulness and legitimacy of interpretations ...
Diane A. Desierto, 2012
5
Hobbes and Bramhall on Liberty and Necessity
This volume presents the famous seventeenth-century debate on freedom between Thomas Hobbes and John Bramhall.
Thomas Hobbes, John Bramhall, Vere Chappell, 1999
6
War of Necessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars
Compares the reasons behind the two Middle East wars during the Bush administrations, drawing on senior-level interviews to argue that the first war was warranted while the second was not, and examines U.S. policy today and what that policy ...
Richard Haass, 2009
7
The Necessity for Ruins, and Other Topics
Jackson discussed the evolution of the development, use, and perception of landscape--the space around us in the most general sense.
John Brinckerhoff Jackson, 1980
8
Necessity
To escape her husband, a wife embarks on a radical adventure Her name is Jennifer Hartman, or perhaps Dorothy Holder.
Brian Garfield, 2012
9
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste ...
“One smart book . . . delving deep into the history and implications of a daily act that dare not speak its name.” —Newsweek Acclaimed as “extraordinary” (The New York Times) and “a classic” (Los Angeles Times), The Big ...
Rose George, 2009
10
Necessity, Proportionality and the Use of Force by States
Against the background of these recent armed conflicts, this 2004 book offers the first comprehensive assessment of the twin requirements of proportionality and necessity as legal restraints on the forceful actions of States.
Judith Gardam, 2004

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «NECESSITY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term necessity is used in the context of the following news items.
1
'Govt Dinosaur Project' Or Growth Necessity? NISP Debate Continues
A large crowd gatehred in Fort Collins Wednesday night to offer comments on the Northern Integrated Supply Project. Stephanie Paige Ogburn ... «KUNC, Jul 15»
2
America's air-conditioning habit is a practical necessity
America's air-conditioning habit is a practical necessity. BY MEGAN McARDLE. Jul 23 2015 12:01 am. Florence Hirner cools off at Memorial Park, Tuesday, July ... «Charleston Post Courier, Jul 15»
3
Children Exercising Is a Necessity for Development, but There Are …
Play, or what scientists like to call informal physical activity, serves an extremely important role in the physical, social and cognitive or ... «AllAfrica.com, Jul 15»
4
Editorial: Healthy dose of skepticism a new necessity
There are some ridiculous scams out there, the kind that make you wonder whether anybody would ever fall for such a thing. But there's a ... «Chico Enterprise-Record, Jul 15»
5
Queer Comic Con -- A Life Necessity
But then I sighed and spent the weekend taking breaks from novel writing to follow the Tumblr feeds of queer fandoms and spent a great deal of ... «Law Street Media, Jul 15»
6
Growing necessity for cybersecurity
Fortifying Kent D Thomas explains why there is an urgent and dire need for more cybersecurity professionals in the age of digitisation. The age ... «Deccan Herald, Jul 15»
7
Bond may be necessity
Some weeks, every conversation I [participate in involves the exact same subjects: roofs, air conditioners, parking lots and asphalt. Whether it's ... «Belleville Telescope, Jul 15»
8
ConnectHome initiative acknowledges economic necessity of …
In a speech in Durant, Oklahoma, the President emphasized that the Internet is not a luxury in a 21st century economy, it is a necessity. «Brookings Institution, Jul 15»
9
Tree clearance on Hanmer Springs' Conical Hill an 'evil necessity'
Tree clearance on Hanmer Springs' Conical Hill an 'evil necessity'. MICHAEL WRIGHT. Last updated 10:48, July 22 2015. Trees have been removed from the ... «The Press, Jul 15»
10
Bear a necessity at Naas
Andrea Atzeni, at Naas principally to ride Stroll Patrol in the feature, will also team up with Bear Cheek in the opening Irish Stallion Farms ... «Belfast Telegraph, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Necessity [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/necessity>. Apr 2024 ».
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