1
as in necessary
impossible to do without
purchase needful provisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
let's first help the needful families in our own community
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in money
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
fortunately, the family had the needful to stock up the larder before the long hard winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in must
something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable
packed a warm jacket and other needfuls for an autumn weekend in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 needful
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
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?
—
Corey Van Landingham,
The New Yorker,
19 June 2023
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—
James Freeman,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2022
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—
Adam Bradley,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—
Matthew Sweet,
The Economist,
4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—
Gordon Monson,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
17 Nov. 2020
Sometimes environments and selection pressures change radically, and large effect mutations may become needful.
—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
18 May 2010
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—
The Editors,
National Review,
5 May 2023
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
Who promises tomorrows to a whole needful planet, restrikes that match?
—
Corey Van Landingham,
The New Yorker,
19 June 2023
They are not found to be such on the injustice and violence of individuals, and lose their efficacy in proportion to the number combined together, that is, in proportion as their efficacy becomes needful.
—
James Freeman,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2022
For Queen and other Black poets, hip-hop is not only beats and rhymes but something more needful.
—
Adam Bradley,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2021
Oxfam exhorts its supporters to send things to the needful Cratchits of the developing world.
—
Matthew Sweet,
The Economist,
4 Dec. 2020
McBride was touched by the way, in their later years, Marcroft was the primary caregiver for Joyce, who had become needful of that care.
—
Gordon Monson,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
17 Nov. 2020
Sometimes environments and selection pressures change radically, and large effect mutations may become needful.
—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
18 May 2010
Noun
The actor did indeed ‘get it together’ and is doing the needful to make things official.
—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2024
Even on this side of the border, the supply of people without legal status but needful of income has led to employers’ brazenly violating child-labor laws.
—
The Editors,
National Review,
5 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needful
Adjective
-
Anything tragic that happened to minorities was inevitable and necessary.
-
No contribution is necessary but encouraged once the account is open so savings can grow, the site said.
Adjective
-
Because of that, these hands suffer from high production costs, poor durability against impacts, short operational lifespans, and there are no existing solutions that engineers can readily draw upon, Wang added.
-
The extreme heat can also affect people who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation.
Noun
-
For the superstar whose private jet is tracked, whose every appearance is documented and whose movements become global headlines within minutes, an arena transformed into a private world may be the closest thing to privacy that money can buy.
-
Multiple network insiders said Tuesday afternoon that no clear front-runner has emerged for James, but that money will not drive the decision.
Noun
-
Shrimp and mussels are a must for her seafood paella, though the queen of home cooking has also used lobster in the past.
-
While breakfast and lunch are first-come, first-serve, for dinner a reservation is a must.
Adjective
-
Constant vigilance and education around water safety is essential.
-
Caftans are the underrated summer essential that bring breezy, effortless glamour to beach days, brunches, and evening plans alike.
Adjective
-
This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.
-
Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.
Noun
-
One of several bags of cash found inside the home of Mario Rocha during an FBI search of his residence in August 2025, as seen in a photograph contained in a court document.
-
But SpaceX is burning cash on its AI businesses, and investors are making a bet that the company will be able to reach profitability in the future.
Noun
-
That means the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which is the local enforcement agency for these requirements in the region, will be in charge of monitoring whether businesses are following the law.
-
Since then, the mussels have spread through California waterways, prompting mandatory boat inspections and decontamination requirements at lakes and reservoirs statewide.
Cite this Entry
“Needful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needful. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
