Necessity
Necessity noun - Something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable.
Usage example: on any road trip, accurate maps are a necessity
Need is a synonym for necessity in necessary topic. In some cases you can use "Need" instead a noun "Necessity", when it comes to topics like poverty, thing, state, demand. popular alternative
Need
Need noun - A state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful.
Usage example: when it came time to wrap the presents, he found he was in need of adhesive tape
Necessity is a synonym for need in requirement topic. You can use "Necessity" instead a noun "Need", if it concerns topics such as necessary, emergency, thing, state. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| emotional | emotional necessity | emotional need |
| human | human necessity | human need |
| good | good necessity | good need |
| many | many necessity | many need |
| Other adjectives: sheer, obvious, powerful, actual, constant, bad, absolute, dire, social, practical, urgent, new, dramatic, immediate, psychological, frequent, desperate, apparent, last, biological, compulsive. | ||
Cite this Source
Need and Necessity. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessity/need
Necessity & Need. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessity/need>.
Need or Necessity. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/necessity/need.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "necessity" and "need" have occurred on timeline