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necessary

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necessary evil

Something bad that must exist or occur in order for something good to happen. These days, student loans are a necessary evil in order to get an education that leads to a well-paying job. Some view dictators as a necessary evil who keep the region stable by suppressing more radical elements.

See also: evil, necessary

deem it (to be) necessary

 and deem that it is necessary

to decide that something is necessary. Mary deemed that it was necessary to leave town that night. Lisa deemed it necessary to go home.

See also: necessary

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.

Prov. People need a deity to worship. (This is an English translation of a quote from Voltaire. It is often parodied, using a person's name instead of God and implying that the person is somehow necessary.) The atheist tried to convince Jerry that God does not exist, and that people should not waste their time worshiping Him. "But you can't stop people from worshiping God," Jerry replied. "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." The unscrupulous mayor was such a convenient scapegoat for the city's problems that if she had not existed, it would have been necessary to invent her.

See also: did, god, if, invent, necessary, not

a necessary evil

something that you do not like but which you know must exist or happen He considers taxes a necessary evil.

See also: evil, necessary

the necessary

n. money; an income. (Also a really old term for a toilet or bathroom.) I can always use more of the necessary.

See also: necessary