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Vital vs Needful - What's the difference?

vital | needful | Related terms |

Vital is a related term of needful.


As adjectives the difference between vital and needful

is that vital is relating to, or characteristic of life while needful is needed; necessary; mandatory; requisite; indispensible.

As a noun needful is

anything necessary or requisite.

vital

English

(wikipedia vital)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Relating to, or characteristic of life.
    • vital''' energies; '''vital''' functions; '''vital actions
  • Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends.
    • The brain is a vital organ.
  • * Spenser
    • Do the heavens afford him vital food?
  • Invigorating or life-giving.
  • Necessary to continued existence.
    • The transition to farming was vital for the creation of civilisation.
  • Relating to the recording of life events.
    • Birth, marriage and death certificates are vital records.
  • Very important.
    • It is vital that you don't forget to do your homework.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-12-14
    • , author=Simon Jenkins, authorlink=Simon Jenkins , title=We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys , volume=188, issue=2, page=23 , date=2012-12-21 , magazine= citation , passage=David Cameron insists that his latest communications data bill is “vital to counter terrorism”. Yet terror is mayhem. It is no threat to freedom. That threat is from counter-terror, from ministers capitulating to securocrats.}}
  • Containing life; living.
  • * Milton
    • spirits that live throughout, vital in every part
  • * Alexander Pope
    • The dart flew on, and pierced a vital part.
  • Capable of living; in a state to live; viable.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Pythagoras and Hippocrates affirm the birth of the seventh month to be vital .

    Derived terms

    * vital force * vital organ * vital signs * vital statistics

    Related terms

    * devive * revive * survive * viable * vitality * vivid

    External links

    * * ----

    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