English Synonyms and Antonyms Part 76

That is _necessary_ which must exist, occur, or be true; which in the nature of things can not be otherwise. That which is _essential_ belongs to the essence of a thing, so that the thing can not exist in its completeness without it; that which is _indispensable_ may be only an adjunct, but it is one that can not be spared; vigorous health is _essential_ to an arctic explorer; warm clothing is _indispensable_.

That which is _requisite_ (or _required_) is so in the judgment of the person requiring it, but may not be so absolutely; thus, the _requisite_ is more a matter of personal feeling than the _indispensable_.

_Inevitable_ (L. _in_, not, and _evito_, shun) is primarily the exact equivalent of the Saxon _unavoidable_; both words are applied to things which some at least would escape or prevent, while that which is _necessary_ may meet with no objection; food is _necessary_, death is _inevitable_; a _necessary_ conclusion satisfies a thinker; an _inevitable_ conclusion silences opposition. An _infallible_ proof is one that necessarily leads the mind to a sound conclusion. _Needed_ and _needful_ are more concrete than _necessary_, and respect an end to be attained; we speak of a _necessary_ inference; _necessary_ food is what one can not live without, while _needful_ food is that without which he can not enjoy comfort, health, and strength.

Antonyms:

casual, needless, optional, useless, contingent, non-essential, unnecessary, worthless.

Prepositions:

Necessary _to_ a sequence or a total; _for_ or _to_ a result or a person; unity is necessary _to_ (to const.i.tute) completeness; decision is necessary _for_ command, or _for_ a commander.

NECESSITY.

Synonyms:

compulsion, fatality, requisite, destiny, fate, sine qua non, emergency, indispensability, unavoidableness, essential, indispensableness, urgency, exigency, need, want.

extremity, requirement,

_Necessity_ is the quality of being necessary, or the quality of that which can not but be, become, or be true, or be accepted as true. _Need_ and _want_ always imply a lack; _necessity_ may be used in this sense, but in the higher philosophical sense _necessity_ simply denotes the exclusion of any alternative either in thought or fact; righteousness is a _necessity_ (not a _need_) of the divine nature. _Need_ suggests the possibility of supplying the deficiency which _want_ expresses; to speak of a person's _want_ of decision merely points out a weakness in his character; to say that he has _need_ of decision implies that he can exercise or attain it. As applied to a deficiency, _necessity_ is more imperative than _need_; a weary person is in _need_ of rest; when rest becomes a _necessity_ he has no choice but to stop work. An _essential_ is something, as a quality, or element, that belongs to the essence of something else so as to be inseparable from it in its normal condition, or in any complete idea or statement of it. Compare NECESSARY; PREDESTINATION.

Antonyms:

choice, doubt, dubiousness, freedom, possibility, contingency, doubtfulness, fortuity, option, uncertainty.

Prepositions:

The necessity _of_ surrender; a necessity _for_ action; this is a necessity _to_ me.

NEGLECT.

Synonyms:

carelessness, heedlessness, negligence, scorn, default, inadvertence, omission, slackness, disregard, inattention, oversight, slight, disrespect, indifference, remissness, thoughtlessness.

failure, neglectfulness,

_Neglect_ (L. _nec_, not, and _lego_, gather) is the failing to take such care, show such attention, pay such courtesy, etc., as may be rightfully or reasonably expected. _Negligence_, which is the same in origin, may be used in almost the same sense, but with a slighter force, as when Whittier speaks of "the _negligence_ which friends.h.i.+p loves;"

but _negligence_ is often used to denote the quality or trait of character of which the act is a manifestation, or to denote the habit of neglecting that which ought to be done. _Neglect_ is transitive, _negligence_ is intransitive; we speak of _neglect_ of his books, friends, or duties, in which cases we could not use _negligence_; _negligence_ in dress implies want of care as to its arrangement, tidiness, etc.; _neglect_ of one's garments would imply leaving them exposed to defacement or injury, as by dust, moths, etc. _Neglect_ has a pa.s.sive sense which _negligence_ has not; the child was suffering from _neglect_, _i. e._, from being neglected by others; the child was suffering from _negligence_ would imply that he himself was neglectful.

The distinction sometimes made that _neglect_ denotes the act, and _negligence_ the habit, is but partially true; one may be guilty of habitual _neglect_ of duty; the wife may suffer from her husband's constant _neglect_, while the _negligence_ which causes a railroad accident may be that of a moment, and on the part of one ordinarily careful and attentive; in such cases the law provides punishment for criminal _negligence_.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for CARE.

Prepositions:

Neglect _of_ duty, _of_ the child _by_ the parent; there was neglect _on the part of_ the teacher.

NEW.

Synonyms:

fresh, modern, new-made, upstart, juvenile, new-fangled, novel, young, late, new-fas.h.i.+oned, recent, youthful.

That which is _new_ has lately come into existence, possession, or use; a _new_ house is just built, or in a more general sense is one that has just come into the possession of the present owner or occupant. _Modern_ denotes that which has begun to exist in the present age, and is still existing; _recent_ denotes that which has come into existence within a comparatively brief period, and may or may not be existing still.

_Modern_ history pertains to any period since the middle ages; _modern_ literature, _modern_ architecture, etc., are not strikingly remote from the styles and types prevalent to-day. That which is _late_ is somewhat removed from the present, but not far enough to be called _old_. That which is _recent_ is not quite so sharply distinguished from the past as that which is _new_; _recent_ publications range over a longer time than _new_ books. That which is _novel_ is either absolutely or relatively unprecedented in kind; a _novel_ contrivance is one that has never before been known; a _novel_ experience is one that has never before occurred to the same person; that which is _new_ may be of a familiar or even of an ancient sort, as a _new_ copy of an old book. _Young_ and _youthful_ are applied to that which has life; that which is _young_ is possessed of a comparatively _new_ existence as a living thing, possessing actual youth; that which is _youthful_ manifests the attributes of youth. (Compare YOUTHFUL.) _Fresh_ applies to that which has the characteristics of newness or youth, while capable of deterioration by lapse of time; that which is unworn, unspoiled, or unfaded; as, a _fresh_ countenance, _fresh_ eggs, _fresh_ flowers. _New_ is opposed to _old_, _modern_ to _ancient_, _recent_ to _remote_, _young_ to _old_, _aged_, etc.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for OLD.

NIMBLE.

Synonyms:

active, alert, bustling, prompt, speedy, spry, agile, brisk, lively, quick, sprightly, swift.

_Nimble_ refers to lightness, freedom, and quickness of motion within a somewhat narrow range, with readiness to turn suddenly to any point; _swift_ applies commonly to more sustained motion over greater distances; a pickpocket is _nimble_-fingered, a dancer _nimble_-footed; an arrow, a race-horse, or an ocean steamer is _swift_; Shakespeare's "_nimble_ lightnings" is said of the visual appearance in sudden zigzag flash across the sky. Figuratively, we speak of _nimble_ wit, _swift_ intelligence, _swift_ destruction. _Alert_, which is strictly a synonym for _ready_, comes sometimes near the meaning of _nimble_ or _quick_, from the fact that the ready, wide-awake person is likely to be _lively_, _quick_, _speedy_. Compare ACTIVE; ALERT.

Antonyms:

clumsy, dull, heavy, inactive, inert, slow, sluggish, unready.

dilatory,

NORMAL.