"necessary" Definition

Definitions for the word "necessary" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. a.
Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
2. a.
Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requiste; essential.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
3. a.
Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; -- opposed to free; as, whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
4. n.
A thing that is necessary or indispensable to some purpose; something that one can not do without; a requisite; an essential; -- used chiefly in the plural; as, the necessaries of life.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
5. n.
A privy; a water-closet.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
6. n.
Such things, in respect to infants, lunatics, and married women, as are requisite for support suitable to station.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
7. adj.
1 requiring to be done; requisite, essential. 2 determined, existing, or happening by natural laws etc., not by free will; inevitable. n. (pl. -ies) (usu. In pl.) Any of the basic requirements of life. the necessary colloq. 1 money. 2 an action etc. Needed for a purpose. necessarily adv. [latin necesse needful]
Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 1884

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Additional Info
This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "necessary" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "necessary" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

Important Notes
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