Noun: necessity ni'se-si-tee
- The condition of being essential or indispensable
"The necessity of clean water for survival cannot be overstated"
- Anything indispensable
"food and shelter are necessities of life";
- essential, requirement, requisite, necessary
Derived forms: necessities
See also: necessary, unnecessary, unneeded
Antonym: inessential
Encyclopedia: Necessity