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

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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

He was born in abject poverty in rural Georgia, Pin Point, Georgia.

— NBC news, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026
Corruption was endemic, and the country’s deeper troubles—its poverty, its social inequities, and the hopeless conditions that drive millions of Nepalis to emigrate for work—endured, laying the kindling for last year’s explosion.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of poverty

Noun

But Moores would express misery in recalling ballpark-construction hassles and MLB politics that frustrated his advocacy of small-market clubs and game-day affordability.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
This summer’s misery has been driven less by scorching afternoons than by record-warm nights and Miami-level humidity, according to scientist Daniel Swain.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of misery

Browse Nearby Words

needfuls

neediness

needing

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Style

“Neediness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neediness. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of neediness

noun

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