Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Necessary; required.
- adjective Being in need of something.
- noun Needy people considered as a group.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having or exhibiting need or distress; needy; necessitous.
- Necessary; requisite.
- Synonyms Requisite, etc. (see
necessary ), indispensable.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Archaic Full of need; in need or want; needy; distressing.
- adjective Necessary for supply or relief; requisite.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Needed ;necessary ;mandatory ;requisite ;indispensible . - noun Anything necessary or requisite.
- noun Ready
money ;wherewithal .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective necessary for relief or supply
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It meant they were just sick of this constant idea that the one thing needful is to put more people in the West -- and more people, and yet more people.
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Methinks it must have been a precursive vapour of the madness that afterwards infolded me, for I know well that there is not one called Death, that he is but a word needful to the weakness of human thought and the poverty of human speech; that he is a no-being, and but a change from that which is.
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Methinks it must have been a precursive vapour of the madness that afterwards infolded me, for I know well that there is not one called Death, that he is but a word needful to the weakness of human thought and the poverty of human speech; that he is a no-being, and but a change from that which is.
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The one thing needful is certainly meant of that which Mary made her choice -- sitting at Christ's feet, to hear his word.
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Mary was a good Christian and still earnestly seeking the one thing needful, which is full salvation, or holiness of heart and life.
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Then to make the sight perfect, these things are needful, that is to wit, the cause efficient, the limb of the eye convenient to the thing that shall be seen, the air that bringeth the likeness to the eye, and taking heed, and easy moving.
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Now a commonplace person would have been satisfied with the recommendation of the medical man, who looks but to the one thing needful, which is a sufficient and wholesome supply of nourishment for the child; but Mr Easy was a philosopher, and had latterly taken to craniology, and he descanted very learnedly with the doctor upon the effect of his only son obtaining his nutriment from an unknown source.
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Now a common-place person would have been satisfied with the recommendation of the medical man, who looks but to the one thing needful, which is a sufficient and wholesome supply of nourishment for the child; but Mr Easy was a philosopher, and had latterly taken to craniology, and he descanted very learnedly with the Doctor upon the effect of his only son obtaining his nutriment from an unknown source.
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"P.S. No name needful, for you will not be astray about the hand."
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Ye have large and airy apprehensions of temporal things, which ye call needful, and ye cannot behold eternal things.
missourigal commented on the word needful
My Indian friends often say, "do the needful," meaning "do what needs to be done." I just like the way it sounds.
July 22, 2009