necessitate

/nəˌsɛsəˈteɪt/

/nəˈsɛˈsɪteɪt/

Other forms: necessitated; necessitates; necessitating

The verb necessitate shows that something is necessary or needs to happen, as when a sweet tooth can necessitate a trip to the store for a triple-scoop ice cream — which will necessitate a trip to the gym.

Synonyms for necessitate are "require" and "force." Although what's required may be serious, necessitate also just labels things that follow naturally from one step to another. A dead car battery might necessitate a long walk home, or your completion of skills tests might necessitate moving up to the next level. Necessitate commonly replaces "need" when doctors talk about treatment, so while your scraped knee might need a big bandage, it may "necessitate treatment with antibiotics" if you go to a clinic.

Definitions of necessitate

1. verb

   require as useful, just, or proper
   synonyms: ask, call for, demand, involve, need, postulate, require, take

   claim, exact, take

   take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs

   antonyms:

   obviate

   do away with

   types:

   claim, exact, take

   take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs

   govern

   require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood

   draw

   require a specified depth for floating

   cost

   require to lose, suffer, or sacrifice

   cry for, cry out for

   need badly or desperately

   compel

   necessitate or exact
2. verb

   cause to be a concomitant
   types:

   entail, imply, mean

   have as a logical consequence

   type of:

   lead

   tend to or result in