necessitate
gb/nəsˈɛsətˌeɪt/ us/nəsˈɛsətˌeɪt/
C1
English
~ 9500
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
make something necessary or required
to cause something to be needed or required
Usage pattern:
to necessitate [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"it necessitates to change"* instead of *"it necessitates change"* or *"it necessitates changing"*. After *necessitate*, use a noun, a gerund (-ing form), or a *that*-clause, not a bare infinitive.
Synonyms
require (More common and slightly less formal; often interchangeable in most contexts.)
|
demand (Stronger and more forceful in tone, can suggest urgency or pressure.)
|
entail (Focuses on something being an unavoidable part or result of something else.)
Antonyms
eliminate the need for (Describes removing a requirement so that something is no longer necessary.)
Collocations
necessitate change
|necessitate action
|necessitate a response
|necessitate surgery
|necessitate a review
|necessitate intervention
Themes
business
|law
|science
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The storm damaged the roof and will necessitate major repairs.
- Rising costs may necessitate cuts in public spending.
- Her condition does not necessitate surgery at this time.
- The new regulations will necessitate a complete review of our safety procedures.
- Working from home can necessitate changes in how teams communicate.
Learner examples
- The broken pipe will necessitate more work.
- His injury may necessitate a visit to the doctor.
- The new law will necessitate a change in our plans.
- The move will necessitate extra costs.
- Bad weather could necessitate a delay to the trip.
Verb
formal
C1
action
2
make someone have to act
to make a person have to do something because of a situation
Usage pattern:
to necessitate [someone] doing [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often try to use an infinitive pattern like *"necessitate him to leave"*. Standard usage is *"necessitate him leaving"*, *"necessitate his leaving"*, or *"necessitate that he leave"*, not *"necessitate him to leave"*.
Synonyms
force (More direct and strong; can suggest pressure or lack of choice more clearly.)
|
compel (Formal verb similar in strength, often used for legal or moral pressure.)
Antonyms
allow (Suggests that someone is free to choose and is not forced by circumstances to act.)
Collocations
necessitate his resignation
|necessitate their relocation
|necessitate staff working overtime
|necessitate her taking time off
Themes
business
|law
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- His poor health may necessitate him stepping down from the role.
- The delay in delivery will necessitate us contacting all of our customers.
- Security concerns necessitated staff working in pairs at night.
- The new timetable will necessitate students arriving earlier each day.
- Budget cuts have necessitated the company laying off several employees.
Learner examples
- The accident necessitated him taking a week off work.
- The rule change will necessitate us starting the meeting earlier.
- The broken lift necessitates people using the stairs.
- Her job loss necessitates her finding new work quickly.
- The new project will necessitate them hiring more people.
Grammar
Dictionary form
necessitate
IPA
GB/nəsˈɛsətˌeɪt/
US/nəsˈɛsətˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
ne - ces - sit - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ces)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: necessitate
- 3rd Person Singular: necessitates
- Present Participle: necessitating
- Past: necessitated
Word family
Forms
necessitates
verb
necessitating
verb
necessitated
verb
Core family
Negative and opposite forms
unnecessary
adjective B1
unnecessarily
adverb
Expressions
be necessitated by
1/bˈi nəsˈɛsətˌeɪtɪd bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
formal
be made necessary by something
to happen or exist because something makes it necessary
Examples
- The changes were necessitated by a fall in profits.
- Emergency measures were necessitated by the sudden power failure.
- Her move to part-time work was necessitated by family responsibilities.