1
as in necessary
impossible to do without
purchase needful provisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
let's first help the needful families in our own community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
fortunately, the family had the needful to stock up the larder before the long hard winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in must
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
packed a warm jacket and other needfuls for an autumn weekend in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of needful
Corey Van Landingham, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
What sort of response was needful?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2013
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2022
Sometimes environments and selection pressures change radically, and large effect mutations may become needful.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2010
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—Matthew Sweet, The Economist, 4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Nov. 2020
Many proponents of critical race theory — whose animating idea is that race is the one thing needful, the single lens through which all other phenomena should be viewed — are indeed trying to compel compliance.
—Greg Weiner, National Review, 10 Sep. 2020
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 May 2023
Adjective
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?
—Corey Van Landingham, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
What sort of response was needful?
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2013
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—James Freeman, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2022
Sometimes environments and selection pressures change radically, and large effect mutations may become needful.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2010
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—Adam Bradley, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—Matthew Sweet, The Economist, 4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Nov. 2020
Many proponents of critical race theory — whose animating idea is that race is the one thing needful, the single lens through which all other phenomena should be viewed — are indeed trying to compel compliance.
—Greg Weiner, National Review, 10 Sep. 2020
Noun
The actor did indeed ‘get it together’ and is doing the needful to make things official.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needful
Adjective
-
Additional studies are necessary to understand how acetyl-L-carnitine impacts neuropathy and whether the benefit depends on the type of neuropathy.—
Amy Brownstein, MS, RDN,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Her teachings focus on necessary skills in death and death education without ignoring the crucial business and marketing training side.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And another research team, using data from 2015 to 2022, observed in an article available in Energy Research and Social Science that poor income distribution correlates with social unrest when fossil fuel subsidies are removed.—
Aldo Flores-Quiroga,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
And poor work conditions can hurt morale in any field.—
Jeff Weiner,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
From south suburban Homewood to northwest suburban Rolling Meadows, more towns are raising money from red-light cameras, plaguing drivers who are just trying to get to work, go to the grocery or drive their kids to a basketball game, among other everyday activities.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
-
That figure reflects actual sales made through October — the holiday period money isn’t distributed until later in the fiscal year, the staff report notes.—
Barbara Henry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
When in Venice, cicchetti (Venetian-style tapas) are a must.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2025
-
For those looking to explore further, the 1.75-mile round-trip Chimney Rock Trail is a must.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Vogue Daily newsletter Get essential fashion, style, and tips, in your inbox.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Influencing Without Authority For a tech leader, influencing without authority is essential.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The nuances of being the older sibling, and especially the eldest daughter of an impoverished, fractured or immigrant family, are beginning to gain more traction in mainstream media.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Kicking Margulis and Dyson out of polite scientific society for these consensus violations would have impoverished science.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
As an bonus, this would save the cash taking unnecessary detours to the federal government to pay bureaucrats, some of whom Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) suspects to be curiously well-off indeed.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr.,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
The company terminated its $5 million revolving line of credit in January 2024 and expects its cash and cash equivalents to be sufficient to fund operations through 2025.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Visiting production centers in person is a crucial part of ensuring his clients goods will meet the USMCA requirements, which also include paying workers $16 an hour on the books and abiding by a slew of intellectual property rules.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
-
What To Know Polizzi had applied for a waiver from the building permit requirement in April 2024 but has not received a response from LADBS.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to needful
Cite this Entry
“Needful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needful. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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