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necessity is the mother of invention
sayingDefinition
› an expression that means that if you really need to do something, you will think of a way of doing itSucceeding, achieving and fulfilling
(Definition of necessity is the mother of invention from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling, but you might be interested in these topics from the Doing and achieving topic area:
- Abstaining and refraining
- Acting and acts
- Avoiding action
- Becoming better
- Cancelling and interrupting
- Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- Coping and not coping
- Delaying and wasting time
- Describing the leading position
- Efficient and effective
- Expressions telling people to hurry up
- Failing and doing badly
- Failures
- Getting involved for one's own benefit or against others' will
- Hesitating
- Higher and lower points of achievement
- Hurrying and doing things quickly
- Making progress and advancing
- Making things better
- Performing a function
- Potential
- Reacting and responding
- Repeating an action
- Success and achievements
- Successful (things or people)
- Surpassing in quality or number
- Taking part and getting involved
- Trying and making an effort
- Unsuccessful (people and things)
- Waiting
- Ways of achieving things
Browse the Dictionary
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necessaries noun
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necessarily adverb
-
necessary adjective
-
necessary evil noun
-
necessitate verb
- necessity is the mother of invention idiom
-
necessity noun
-
neck and neck idiom
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neck noun (BODY PART)
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neck noun (TOP PART)
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neck verb
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus: Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling
Synonyms and related words:
- accomplish verb
- achieve verb
- acquit verb
- attain verb
- be a hard/tough act to follow idiom
- do the job idiom
- do/work wonders idiom
- excel verb
- execute verb (DO)
- follow (sth) through phrasal verb
- make the grade idiom
- measure up phrasal verb
- never look back idiom
- not put a foot wrong idiom
- notch sth up phrasal verb
- win through phrasal verb
- wish-fulfillment noun
- work wonders/miracles idiom
- work/go like a dream idiom
- you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs idiom
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