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| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | necessity, basic |
| Synonyms: | ABCs, bottom line, brass tacks, condition, element, essence, fire and ice, fundamental, groceries, guts*, heart, meat and potatoes, must, name of the game, nitty-gritty, nuts and bolts, part and parcel, precondition, prerequisite, principle, quintessence, requirement, requisite, rudiment, sine qua non, stuff, substance, vital part, where one's at |
| Notes: | the words crucial, essential, and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) |
| Antonyms: | accessory, auxiliary, nonessential, subsidiary, throwaway, trivia |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | basis |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | foundation for belief, action |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, assumption, authority, axiom, backbone, background, backing, base, bedrock, cause, center, chief ingredient, core, crux, data, dictum, essence, essential, evidence, explanation, footing, fundamental, hard fact, heart, infrastructure, justification, keynote, keystone, law, nexus, nucleus, postulate, premise, presumption, presupposition, principal element, principle, proof, reason, root, rudiment, sanction, security, source, substratum, support, theorem, theory, underpinning, warrant |
| Main Entry: | characteristic |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | typical feature, trait |
| Synonyms: | affection, aspect, attribute, badge, bag, bearing, bent, caliber, cast, complexion, component, differentia, disposition, distinction, earmark, endowment, essence, essential, faculty, flavor, frame, idiosyncrasy, inclination, individuality, lineament, mannerism, mark, mood, nature, originality, particularity, peculiarity, personality, point, property, quality, singularity, specialty, streak, stripe, style, symptom, temperament, tendency, thing, thumbprint, tinge, tone, trademark, turn, virtue |
| Antonyms: | abnormality |
| Main Entry: | condition |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | requirement, limitation |
| Synonyms: | arrangement, article, catch, codicil, contingency, demand, essential, exception, exemption, fine print, kicker, modification, must, necessity, postulate, precondition, prerequisite, provision, proviso, qualification, requisite, reservation, rule, sine qua non, small print, stipulation, strings, terms |
| Main Entry: | constituent |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | element |
| Synonyms: | board, component, division, essential, factor, fixins, fraction, ingredient, makings, part, part and parcel, plug-in, portion, principle, unit |
| Antonyms: | whole |
| Main Entry: | cornerstone |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | vital element |
| Synonyms: | anchor, base, essential, foundation, key element, keystone, linchpin, main ingredient, mainspring, mainstay, pillar |
| Main Entry: | necessity |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | need, essentiality |
| Synonyms: | call, cause, claim, compulsion, demand, desideratum, duress, essence, essential, exaction, exigency, fundamental, godsend, imperative, indispensability, inevitability, inexorableness, life or death, must, necessary, needfulness, no alternative, no choice, obligation, pinch, precondition, prerequisite, privation, requirement, requisite, sine qua non, stress, undeniability, urgency, vital part, vitals, want |
| Antonyms: | desire, want |
| Main Entry: | need |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | want, requirement |
| Synonyms: | charge, commitment, committal, compulsion, demand, desideratum, devoir, duty, essential, exigency, extremity, longing, must, obligation, occasion, ought, requisite, right, the urge, urgency, use, weakness, wish |
| Notes: | knead means to make into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands or manually manipulate someone's body usually for medicinal or relaxation purposes; a need (noun) is something required or wanted - need (verb) means to require or have a need of |
| Antonyms: | have |
| Main Entry: | prerequisite |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | condition, necessity |
| Synonyms: | essential, imperative, must, need, postulate, precondition, qualification, requirement, requisite, sine qua non |
| Notes: | a perquisite is a profit or benefit in addition to a salary or wages or a gratuity or tip for services performed, while a prerequisite is something that is required in advance |
| Antonyms: | extra, option |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
