Synonyms and antonyms of Necessary in British Thesaurus

necessary (adjective)

essential or needed in order to do something, provide something, or make something happen

essential (adjective)

completely necessary

vital (adjective)

very important, necessary, or essential

basic (adjective)

basic ideas or skills are the ones you must know or learn in order to understand or do something

compulsory (adjective)

something that is compulsory must be done because of a rule or law

indispensable (adjective)

difficult or impossible to exist without or to do something without

obligatory (adjective)

formal something that is obligatory must be done in order to obey a law or rule

without fail ()

used for emphasizing that someone must do something

at all costs ()

used for saying that something must be done, however difficult it is or however much damage it causes

of necessity ()

used for saying that something must be done, designed etc in the way that it is and cannot be different

at a pinch ()

if it becomes necessary and you have no choice. The American expression is in a pinch

basic (adjective)

basic products and services are ones that everyone needs such as food, medicine, and fuel

de rigueur (adjective)

formal necessary in order to be fashionable or to be accepted by other people in a group

essential (adjective)

most basic and necessary

have (verb)

if you have to do something, you must do it because it is necessary

have (verb)

if you have something to do, you must do it

if need be ()

if necessary

implicit (adjective)

forming a necessary part of something

mission-critical (adjective)

necessary for a business or other organization to work well

the name of the game ()

something that you must do if you want to be successful at a particular activity or business

necessity is the mother of invention ()

used for saying that people find ways to do what they have to or get what they need

need (noun)

a situation in which it is necessary for something to be done

need (verb)

used for saying whether it is necessary to do something

need (verb)

used for saying whether it is necessary for a particular situation to exist

need (verb)

used for emphasizing that something should be done

needful (adjective)

very formal necessary, or essential

prerequisite (adjective)

formal necessary in order for something to happen

requisite (adjective)

formal necessary for a particular purpose

staple (adjective)

used for describing the products, especially foods, that are the most basic and important for a particular place or group of people

vital (adjective)

necessary to keep you alive

want (verb)

British if something wants doing, it needs to be done