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
-
No executions have been carried out in Louisiana since 2010 due to the state’s struggles to get the drugs necessary for lethal injection and scant political will (Landry’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, was opposed to the death penalty).—
Dakin Andone,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
-
But if that’s necessary, the two-step side passage down to the foredeck is also a smart feature that allows quick access to the main cabin, or to the anchor, if coming into harbor.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Without education, students with disabilities face higher rates of poverty, unemployment, poor health, and social isolation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
-
This initiative helped avert potential global famines and boosted incomes for poor farmers, particularly in Asia.—
A.J. Russo,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
But professional and personal challenges preceded the LP's success: In 1998, the Backstreet Boys left their management group and were entangled in a lawsuit with businessman Lou Pearlman over the amount of money earned for their first two albums.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
-
When people can hold, trade and invest in these tools with micro-amounts of money, the gap between the haves and have-nots begins to shrink.—
Bryan Benson,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That is a tangible measure of improvement, which is a must.—
James Pearce,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
-
For any nimble and growth-minded leader, this is a must.—
Eyal Lifshitz,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Sign up to get The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The Athletic staff delivered free to your inbox.—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Structural inequities are systemic barriers within institutions — such as health care and employment — that restrict access to essential resources based on one’s race, legal or economic status.—
Deborah Omontese,
The Conversation,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Three generations of the Kim family have created a politically repressed and economically impoverished state that is nonetheless a pivotal actor on the global stage.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Now with all these things vanished, along with the bookstores and repertory cinemas, the city seems impoverished and disfigured.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The knife was displayed on a table along with cash and a cellphone.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Strong cash flows helped the firm swing to a net cash position of £475 million from having net debt of £2 billion in 2023.—
Royston Wild,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The requirements here include being a family with children, holding a valid residence permit for Spain, the ability to speak Spanish, and a commitment to buying or renting a property in Rubia.—
Kathleen Peddicord,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
-
If a recruit was outside these requirements, the applicant was granted 90 days to comply with Army regulations.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to needful
Cite this Entry
“Needful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needful. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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