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Necessary vs Initial - What's the difference?

necessary | initial |

As adjectives the difference between necessary and initial

is that necessary is needed, required while initial is chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.

As nouns the difference between necessary and initial

is that necessary is bathroom, toilet, loo while initial is the first letter of a word or a name.

As a verb initial is

to sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.

necessary

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • needed, required
  • * Shakespeare
  • 'Tis necessary he should die.
  • * Tillotson
  • A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds.
  • Such as must be; not to be avoided; inevitable.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Death, a necessary end, / Will come when it will come.
  • Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary.
  • Whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.

    Synonyms

    * (needed) See also * (such as must be) inevitable, natural

    Antonyms

    * (needed) unnecessary * (such as must be) evitable, incidental, impossible

    Derived terms

    * necessarily * necessary condition

    Noun

    (necessaries)
  • (archaic, British) bathroom, toilet, loo
  • Statistics

    *

    initial

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.
  • :
  • :
  • *{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=19 citation , passage=Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.}}
  • Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position; especially said of the first letter of a word.
  • :
  • *
  • *:Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial , a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
  • Synonyms

    * incipient * opening

    Antonyms

    * final

    Derived terms

    * initially * initialness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The first letter of a word or a name.
  • In plural, the first letter of each word of a person's full name considered as a unit
  • You can get your initials printed at the top.
  • (typesetting, calligraphy) A distinguished initial letter of a chapter or section of a document.
  • (phonology) onset, part of a syllable that precedes the syllable nucleus in phonetics and phonology.
  • Synonyms

    * drop cap, versal

    Derived terms

    * initialism * initial teaching alphabet

    Verb

  • To sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.
  • Please initial each page and sign the contract in full at the bottom.

    See also

    * middle