needed 1 of 2

adjective

as in necessary
impossible to do without pack only what will be needed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

needed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of need
as in required
to have as a requirement a national crisis that needs a strong leader to solve it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of needed
Adjective
Thanks to soccer, often called the world’s beautiful game, many found a needed distraction. — Alfredo Corchado, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 Add mulch to flower beds as the rain lets up for the season, so it won’t get washed away and will still retain needed moisture. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 July 2026 Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, who less than a week ago declared a state of emergency in his country following weeks of anti-government protests, said his country stood ready to provide any needed assistance. — ABC News, 25 June 2026 Before Erceg entered the game in the ninth, the Royals gave KC’s bullpen some needed cushion. — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026 Weeks after the collapse of hometown Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways is doubling down on serving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, giving Florida’s third-largest airport a needed boost. — Miami Herald, 23 May 2026 Gulf sovereign wealth funds recently pushed for significantly more attractive economics in exchange for providing needed capital, $24 billion. — Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 Harden has come through in needed moments this spring. — Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 21 May 2026 This should be a needed breath of fresh air for the Cowboys after a super rough start to the season, but Dallas has lost eight of its last nine contests against the Cardinals dating back to 2006, including four losses in a row. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Verb
Both needed managing by England coach Thomas Tuchel, missing some training sessions and matches, but were able to feature and score in that last game against France. — Art De Roché, New York Times, 22 July 2026 Brake gently as needed - Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 Evan Bland said his wife insisted that everyone in the home needed to be baptized in the bathtub. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026 The broadcaster hopes that the aforementioned cost cuts will deliver around £160 million ($214 million) of £500 million ($669 million) in savings needed by 2028/29. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026 Rally leaders argued that voting Democrats into office is needed to fix the system. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026 But, as evidenced by the response on Instagram, there was a void Big Daddy Kane needed to fill. — Kyle Eustice, VIBE.com, 14 July 2026 The funding also covers working capital needed to expand production. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026 The house put the family and its guests not only in direct contact with the awe-inspiring waterfall beneath it but also with the geological feature’s humidity, causing mildew growth that needed mitigation. — Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needed
  1. necessary
  2. required
  3. essential
  4. wanted
  5. needful
  6. integral
Adjective
  • If monoculture is partially abandoned in certain areas, financial compensation will be necessary.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • And Cristobal will do what is necessary to make sure that standard is established before the season begins.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of necessary
Verb
  • Stable rules are needed to support capital formation, especially at the scale required by frontier AI development.
    — Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Under Assembly Bill 481, law enforcement agencies are required to obtain approval prior to the purchase or use of military equipment, along with an annual report of how the technology has been deployed in the previous year.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of required
Adjective
  • Every season seems to bring another silhouette deemed essential — and if your closet doesn’t already contain it, well, time to go shopping.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Glamour, 31 July 2026
  • Nvidia’s chips are essential to AI data centers, pushing its business to stratospheric heights.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Definition of essential
Verb
  • But the Golden native wanted his next adventure to be focused on his home state.
    — Jeff Todd, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • In the case of the Blues, the jersey fans wanted back did make a comeback, so this pick is more of a plea to keep it.
    — The Athletic NHL Staff, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of wanted
Adjective
  • Her voice is slurred, needful, abject.
    — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
  • That image of God never has a problem, never has a disease, never lacks anything needful or truly desirable, and has never sinned.
    — Douglas Sytsma, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
Definition of needful
Adjective
  • Business continuity and reputation should be integral to crisis response, as their impacts extend beyond mere technology.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Caggiano was an integral part of the team that fought tirelessy to get this deal done, just a few years after negotiating the NWSL’s first-ever CBA.
    — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of integral

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Cite this Entry

“Needed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needed. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of needed for Spanish Speakers

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