English Reference

Word

necessitate

Phoneticsne·ces·si·tate

US/nəˈsɛsəˌteɪt/

UK/nəsˈɛsɪtˌeɪt/

Definitions

01to make necessary

C1

v. to make something necessary, often because of a change in plans or a new problem.

v. to make something necessary as a logical or practical consequence. Transitive — requires a direct object, often a noun phrase or a gerund.

“The sudden rainstorm will necessitate a change in our outdoor wedding plans.”

“The discovery of structural flaws in the bridge's foundation will necessitate a complete redesign of the support pillars.”

Formal · Academic

Usage

Commonly followed by a noun phrase or a gerund (e.g., 'necessitate moving').

Antonyms

obviateprevent

02to force an action

C1

v. to force someone to do something because there is no other choice.

v. to compel or force a specific course of action due to external circumstances.

“Increased costs have necessitated a reduction in the number of staff members.”

“The severe budget deficit necessitated drastic cuts to public services that had previously been considered essential.”

Formal

Usage

Often used in the passive voice to describe actions forced by economic or legal conditions.

Real-World Examples

“Beard's passing "necessitates the cancellation" of the band's tour dates this week in Utah and Colorado, the statement said.”
BBC News · 18 Aug 2026
“Increasing flash floods threaten decoration and structural stability, necessitating preventive conservation.”
Phys.org · 12 Aug 2026

Etymology

From earlier necessitat, from Medieval Latin necessitātus, perfect past participle of necessitō (“to make necessary”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix, of participial origin)), from Classical Latin necessitās (“necessity, need”) + -ō. Necessitās is derived from necesse (“unavoidable”) (from ne- (“not”) + cessus (“conceded, given up, yielded”). By surface analysis, necessitō + -ate.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Related words

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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