necessitous
[ nuh-ses-i-tuhs ]
adjective
destitute or impoverished; needy; indigent: to aid a necessitous young mother.
being essential or unavoidable: a necessitous discharge of responsibilities.
requiring immediate attention or action; urgent: the necessitous demands of the oil shortage.
Origin of necessitous
1First recorded in 1605–15; necessit(y) + -ous
Other words from necessitous
- ne·ces·si·tous·ly, adverb
- ne·ces·si·tous·ness, noun
- non·ne·ces·si·tous, adjective
- non·ne·ces·si·tous·ly, adverb
- non·ne·ces·si·tous·ness, noun
- un·ne·ces·si·tous, adjective
- un·ne·ces·si·tous·ly, adverb
- un·ne·ces·si·tous·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with necessitous
- necessary, necessitous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for necessitous
necessitous
/ (nɪˈsɛsɪtəs) /
adjective
very needy; destitute; poverty-stricken
Derived forms of necessitous
- necessitously, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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