needy
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needy
- /ˈniːdi/
Rhymes with -iːdi
Where it comes from
From Middle English nedy, nedi (“necessitous”), from Old English nēdiġ, *nīediġ ("of need, obligated, compelled"; found in the derivative nīediġnes (“obligation”)), from Proto-Germanic *naudigaz (“of need, forced, compelled”), equivalent to need + -y. Cognate with Scots nedy, neidy (“needy, necessitous, impoverished”), Saterland Frisian niedich (“miserable, poor, wretched, needy”), Saterland Frisian nöödich (“necessary, needful”), West Frisian nedich (“needful, needed”), Dutch nodig (“necessary”), Middle Low German nōdich (“necessary, urgent, by requirement”), German nötig (“necessary, needful”), Danish nødig (“necessary”), Swedish nödig (“necessary”), Icelandic nauðugur (“constrained”).
adjective needier · neediest
- In need; poor. Needy people want to give too, but have few material goods to offer.
-
Desiring constant affirmation; lacking self-confidence.
Near-synonym: clingy
Similar: clingy
- Needful; necessary. It is the measure of things, and their time (that is, their measure, as to space and time), and yet it is above, and prior to, time: it is full in needy things, and overflows in full things; it is unutterable, innominable: it is above understanding […]
Opposite: confident, self-sufficient
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: necessitous, poor, indigent, destitute, impoverished, poverty-stricken, needed, need, needs, necessary, required, dependent, fortunate, precarious, demanding, vulnerable
adjective
Opposite: confident, self-sufficient
Translations
Every language
adj needing constant affirmation
| Español | necesitante, necesitoso |
|---|---|
| Português | carente |
Talk about this word "needy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/needy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. needy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/needy "needy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/needy.Cite this
@misc{needy_2026,
title = {needy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/needy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
