NEEDINESS Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

neediness

noun

Definition of neediness

as in poverty

the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions a family's general level of neediness is the determining factor in the allocation of charitable donations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 neediness Kaitlin Olson made Dee’s own session a masterpiece of wide-eyed neediness, obsessively lying about her past and then demanding the shrink praise her for her acting prowess. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026 Langley’s closest sonic predecessor, Kacey Musgraves, has long searched for transcendence—though in more woo-woo terms than Langley does, and with (on Musgraves’s lusty new album) the sort of neediness that often gets written off as cringe. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 Managers frequently mistake flexibility for a weak work ethic, mental health discussions for fragility, transparency for disrespect, and feedback requests for neediness. — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 To play Duncan Park, the head of a data-mining company who’s desperate to join the upper tier of the tech industry hierarchy in the AMC drama The Audacity, Billy Magnussen has to find a deep well of neediness and striving. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2026 Is Suzanna’s gloomy neediness all that different from Becky’s gold-digging manipulations? — Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026 Fontana is wearing a little thin on me with the constant neediness for approval. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026 She was sandwiched between their needinesses. — Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026 On the second take, Russell’s bossy tone rubbed up nicely against the neediness of the moment. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for neediness

Noun

The war is threatening years of progress in education and poverty reduction in Bangladesh, whose economy already was under strain.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
New York assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, a democratic socialist, spoke at a rally on Thursday protesting against jailing people who steal items, such as personal care products, as a result of living in poverty.

— Emily Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of poverty

Noun

Elci said the uncertainty — and being taken off the air for even a day — was misery.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2026
Another finds his misery exacerbated by a Christmas spent shooting a war movie opposite its star Brad Pitt’s stand-in, in a rare evocation of how impersonal blockbuster filmmaking has become.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of misery

Browse Nearby Words

needfuls

neediness

needing

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Neediness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neediness. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of neediness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on neediness

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes