necessitous

[ nuh-ses-i-tuhs ]
See synonyms for necessitous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. destitute or impoverished; needy; indigent: to aid a necessitous young mother.

  2. being essential or unavoidable: a necessitous discharge of responsibilities.

  1. requiring immediate attention or action; urgent: the necessitous demands of the oil shortage.

Origin of necessitous

1
First 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for necessitous

necessitous

/ (nɪˈsɛsɪtəs) /


adjective
  1. 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