Necessary and Spare

Necessary

Necessary adjective - Absolutely essential.

Spare is an antonym for necessary.

Nearby Words: necessity, necessarily

Spare

Spare adjective - Being over what is needed.

Necessary is an antonym for spare in topics: extra, thin.

Nearby Words: spar, sparing, spared, sparely

Both words in one sentence

  • Starship Troopers is full of long speeches on why war is necessary and the attitudes necessary in being a soldier, as well as sermons on the topic of "spare the rod, spoil the child."
  • Tabletop Game / Traveller Bigger ships need more crew, with many Imperial warships carrying spare frozen crew members to thaw out when necessary.
  • They can commit necessary atrocities and spare the scruples of the rest of the Essalieyanese forces.
Cite this Source
Spare and Necessary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessary/spare
Necessary & Spare. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessary/spare>.
Spare or Necessary. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessary/spare.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "necessary" and "spare" have occurred on timeline