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Needing vs Needful - What's the difference?

needing | needful |

As nouns the difference between needing and needful

is that needing is a need while needful is anything necessary or requisite.

As a verb needing

is .

As an adjective needful is

needed; necessary; mandatory; requisite; indispensible.

needing

English

Verb

(head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A need.
  • * Daniel Turner, The ancient physician's legacy impartially survey'd

    • Anagrams

    *

    needful

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Needed; necessary; mandatory; requisite; indispensible.
  • * 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 5
    • So I went to keep house with him at the Why Not? and my aunt sent down my bag of clothes, and would have made over to Elzevir the pittance that my father left for my keep, but he said it was not needful , and he would have none of it.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Anything necessary or requisite.
  • Ready money; wherewithal.

    • Usage notes

    (Do the needful) Commonly found in phrases such as "do the needful" or "please do the needful"; which occur commonly in Indian English but are held as archaic in other dialects; nonetheless being heard more and more by speakers of said dialects in their interactions with speakers of Indian English. This has to some extent lead to these phrases being seen as stereotypical of Indian English and used in a parodying context by speakers of other dialects, some of whom may find their usage odd and/or pretentious.

    Derived terms

    * do the needful