needy
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.not having enough money, food, or the things you need to live.
adj.lacking the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, or adequate housing.
Simple“The charity provides warm clothes and hot meals for needy families in the city.”
In context“The local government has increased funding for social programmes that support the most needy members of the community during the winter months.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.needing too much attention, love, or reassurance from other people.
adj.demonstrating an excessive need for emotional support, validation, or constant attention from others.
Simple“He felt his girlfriend was becoming too needy because she texted him every ten minutes.”
In context“In professional environments, an overly needy employee can inadvertently drain the team's productivity by constantly seeking reassurance on minor tasks.”
Antonymsindependentself sufficient - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.people who are very poor and need help from others.
n.a collective noun referring to impoverished people as a group; almost always preceded by 'the'.
Simple“The organization's mission is to help the needy by providing free medical care.”
In context“The philanthropist dedicated the latter half of her life to distributing her vast fortune among the needy in developing nations.”
UsageAlways used with the definite article 'the' to function as a plural noun.
From Middle English nedy, nedi (“necessitous”), from Old English nēdiġ, nīediġ ("of need, obligated, compelled"; found in the derivative nīediġnes (“obligation”)), from Proto-Germanic naudigaz (“of need, forced, compelled”), equivalent to need + -y. Cognate with Scots nedy, neidy (“needy, necessitous, impoverished”), Saterland Frisian niedich (“miserable, poor, wretched, needy”), Saterland Frisian nöödich (“necessary, needful”), West Frisian nedich (“needful, needed”), Dutch nodig (“necessary”), Middle Low German nōdich (“necessary, urgent, by requirement”), German nötig (“necessary, needful”), Danish nødig (“necessary”), Swedish nödig (“necessary”), Icelandic nauðugur (“constrained”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.