adjectiveadverb

notwendig

necessary

Etwas, das man unbedingt braucht oder tun muss, weil es wichtig ist und nicht weggelassen werden kann.

Definition & meaning

Notwendig means necessary, needed, or essential—something required for a purpose or situation.

Depending on context, it can also mean inevitable or unavoidable: something that cannot be prevented or avoided.

eine notwendige Maßnahme — a necessary measure
Das ist notwendig. — That is necessary.
Der Fehler war nicht notwendig. — The mistake was avoidable.

Grammar & word origin

Notwendig is an adjective. It can appear before a noun with an appropriate adjective ending, or after a verb such as sein (“to be”). Its comparative and superlative forms are notwendiger (“more necessary”) and am notwendigsten (“most necessary”).

The word is historically connected to Not (“distress” or “need”) and wenden (“to turn”): the original sense was something that turns away or remedies distress.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

erforderlich — “required”; often emphasizes that a rule, task, or condition calls for something.
nötig — “needed” or “necessary”; a close, often more conversational synonym.
unerlässlich — “indispensable”; stronger than notwendig, suggesting something cannot be done without it.
unvermeidlich — “unavoidable”; focuses on something that cannot be prevented, rather than something required.

Antonyms:

unnötig — “unnecessary”; the most direct opposite.
überflüssig — “superfluous” or “redundant”; suggests that something is not needed and may be extra.
entbehrlich — “dispensable”; means something can be done without it.