Necessary definition

1. Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable. "Death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come." (Shak)

2. Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requiste; essential. "'T is necessary he should die." "A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds." (Tillotson)

3. Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; opposed to free; as, whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.

Origin: L. Necessarius, from necesse unavoidable, necessary; of uncertain origin: cf. F. Necessaire.

(01 Mar 1998)