necessary condition

Cultural

In mathematics, a condition that must be satisfied for a statement to be true, but that does not in and of itself make it true. For example, a necessary condition to become president of the United States is that a candidate be over thirty-five years of age, but just being over thirty-five does not make one president.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Economist Gustavo Lazzari said labor reform is “a necessary condition…but not sufficient to generate employment,” arguing that without sustained economic growth, new rules alone won’t create jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Asked if Rodríguez is open to elections in a year and a half or so, Wright said, “I think so. She’s well aware of that…. I think she recognizes that’s a necessary condition. We have a plan. She knows the plan.”

From The Wall Street Journal

To us, quality is a necessary condition.

From Barron's

They were told there was one necessary condition for winning the election: a good economy.

From The Wall Street Journal

The rate increases that started that year, plus inflation and pandemic after-effects, were enough to push some of Japan’s zombie companies out of business at long last—a painful but necessary condition for future economic growth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023