necessity

/nəˈsesəti/ (bre, ipa) · /nəˈsesəti/ (ame, ipa) · /ni-ˈse-sə-tē -ˈse-stē/ (ame, mw)

necessity — noun

  • necessitysingular
  • necessitiesplural

1. a situation in which something is required to happen or exist because it is need

1.名詞B2
釋義

a situation in which something is required to happen or exist because it is needed.

例句

Hoa emphasized the necessity of saving money for unexpected medical bills.

necessity of + gerund (pattern)

The growing necessity for clean energy has led to many new inventions.

necessity for + noun (pattern)

同義詞
  • need

    broader and less formal; can express personal desire rather than objective requirement

  • requirement

    more formal, often used in official rules or conditions

  • demand

    suggests external pressure or a market-driven force rather than an internal need

  • prerequisite

    narrower; something that must exist before another thing can happen

反義詞
  • option

    something that can be chosen or not, with no obligation

  • luxury

    something desirable but not essential

文法句型

necessity + for + noun

necessity + of + gerund

necessity + to-infinitive

用法筆記

Commonly followed by 'for' + noun phrase, 'of' + gerund, or a to-infinitive. In formal writing, 'necessity' carries stronger urgency than 'need' and is often used in contexts of rules, survival, or unavoidable situations.

常見錯誤

❌I bought food out of necessary.
✅I bought food out of necessity.
💡'necessary' is an adjective; 'necessity' is the noun form.
❌There is necessity to leave now.
✅There is a necessity to leave now.
💡when used with a to-infinitive, 'necessity' usually requires the article 'a'.

2. a basic item such as food, water, or housing that a person must have to survive

2.名詞B2
釋義

a basic item such as food, water, or housing that a person must have to survive and live normally.

例句

After months of drought, the villagers lined up for clean drinking water — it was a basic necessity.

basic necessity (common collocation)

After losing her job, Kemi could only afford the bare necessities like rice and soap.

bare necessities (common collocation)

同義詞
  • essential

    more common in everyday speech; 'basic essentials' covers the same idea

  • requisite

    very formal; used mainly in technical or bureaucratic writing

  • staple

    narrower; refers mainly to basic food items such as rice, flour, or oil

反義詞
  • luxury

    something pleasant to have but not required for survival

  • extravagance

    an expensive item that goes well beyond what is needed

文法句型

bare necessities

basic necessity

daily necessities

household necessities

用法筆記

Often used in the plural form 'necessities' when referring to basic living needs. The phrase 'bare necessities' refers to the absolute minimum items needed for survival.

常見錯誤

❌Water is a necessary.
✅Water is a necessity.
💡'necessary' is an adjective; 'necessity' is the correct noun form.
❌She bought some necessity at the store.
✅She bought some necessities at the store.
💡when talking about basic living items, the plural form is more natural.