Appropriate vs. Necessary — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 20, 2024
Appropriate actions are suitable or fitting for a particular situation, while necessary actions are required or essential to achieve a specific outcome.
Difference Between Appropriate and Necessary
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Appropriate actions or choices are determined by social norms, context, or specific conditions, ensuring that behavior or decisions are suitable for the circumstances. In contrast, necessary actions are dictated by need or obligation, often with the implication that there is no acceptable alternative to achieve a desired goal.
While appropriateness often considers the social acceptability or correctness of an action within a given context, necessity focuses on the indispensability of an action for accomplishing a particular objective. For example, wearing formal attire might be appropriate for a job interview, but submitting a resume is necessary to be considered for the position.
The concept of appropriateness can vary widely depending on cultural norms, personal values, and situational specifics, making it a more subjective criterion. On the other hand, the necessity of an action usually has a more objective basis, often tied to achieving a specific result or fulfilling a requirement.
Both concepts play crucial roles in decision-making processes. Deciding what is appropriate involves assessing the suitability of actions based on context, whereas determining what is necessary involves evaluating what actions are indispensable for achieving certain goals or meeting specific standards.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Suitable or fitting for a particular situation
Required or essential to achieve a specific outcome
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Basis
Social norms, context
Need, obligation
Focus
Social acceptability, correctness
Indispensability, essentiality
Variability
Subject to cultural norms, personal values
More objective, based on specific requirements
Decision-making
Involves assessing suitability
Involves evaluating indispensability
Compare with Definitions
Appropriate
Can vary with situation.
What is appropriate in one culture may not be in another.
Necessary
Associated with obligations.
It's necessary to obey the law.
Appropriate
Concerned with fittingness.
Offering condolences in times of grief is seen as appropriate.
Necessary
Required for a specific outcome.
Studying is necessary to pass the exam.
Appropriate
Reflects propriety.
Using polite language is appropriate in professional settings.
Necessary
Implies indispensability.
Water is necessary for survival.
Appropriate
Governed by social norms.
Apologizing for a mistake is considered appropriate behavior.
Necessary
Often tied to objectives.
A passport is necessary for international travel.
Appropriate
Suitable for a given context.
It was appropriate to dress formally for the ceremony.
Necessary
Focuses on essentiality.
Honest communication is necessary for a healthy relationship.
Appropriate
Suitable for a particular person, condition, occasion, or place; fitting.
Necessary
Needed or required
A contract complete with the necessary signatures.
Conditions necessary to life.
Appropriate
To set apart for a specific use
Appropriating funds for education.
Necessary
Unavoidably determined by prior conditions or circumstances; inevitable
The necessary results of overindulgence.
Appropriate
To take possession of or make use of exclusively for oneself, often without permission
My coworker appropriated my unread newspaper.
Necessary
Logically inevitable
A necessary conclusion.
Appropriate
Suitable or fit; proper.
The headmaster wondered what an appropriate measure would be to make the pupil behave better.
Necessary
Required by obligation, compulsion, or convention
Made the necessary apologies.
Appropriate
Suitable to the social situation or to social respect or social discreetness; socially correct; socially discreet; well-mannered; proper.
I don't think it was appropriate for the cashier to tell me out loud in front of all those people at the check-out that my hair-piece looked like it was falling out of place.
While it is not considered appropriate for a professor to date his student, there is no such concern once the semester has ended.
Necessary
Something indispensable.
Appropriate
(obsolete) Set apart for a particular use or person; reserved.
Necessary
Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty.
Although I wished to think that all was false, it was yet necessary that I, who thus thought, must in some sense exist.
It is absolutely necessary that you call and confirm your appointment.
Appropriate
(transitive) To take to oneself; to claim or use, especially as by an exclusive right.
Let no man appropriate the use of a common benefit.
Necessary
Unavoidable, inevitable.
If it is absolutely necessary to use public computers, you should plan ahead and forward your e-mail to a temporary, disposable account.
Appropriate
(transitive) To set apart for, or assign to, a particular person or use, especially in exclusion of all others; with to or for.
A spot of ground is appropriated for a garden.
To appropriate money for the increase of the navy
Necessary
(obsolete) Determined, involuntary: acting from compulsion rather than free will.
Appropriate
To annex (for example a benefice, to a spiritual corporation, as its property).
Necessary
A place to do the "necessary" business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.
Appropriate
To make suitable to; to suit.
Necessary
(obsolete) Necessity.
Appropriate
Set apart for a particular use or person. Hence: Belonging peculiarly; peculiar; suitable; fit; proper.
In its strict and appropriate meaning.
Appropriate acts of divine worship.
It is not at all times easy to find words appropriate to express our ideas.
Necessary
Such as must be; impossible to be otherwise; not to be avoided; inevitable.
Death, a necessary end,Will come when it will come.
Appropriate
To take to one's self in exclusion of others; to claim or use as by an exclusive right; as, let no man appropriate the use of a common benefit.
Necessary
Impossible to be otherwise, or to be dispensed with, without preventing the attainment of a desired result; indispensable; requisite; essential.
A certain kind of temper is necessary to the pleasure and quiet of our minds.
Appropriate
To set apart for, or assign to, a particular person or use, in exclusion of all others; - with to or for; as, a spot of ground is appropriated for a garden; to appropriate money for the increase of the navy.
Necessary
Acting from necessity or compulsion; involuntary; - opposed to free; as, whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.
Appropriate
To make suitable; to suit.
Necessary
A thing that is necessary or indispensable to some purpose; something that one can not do without; a requisite; an essential; - used chiefly in the plural; as, the necessaries of life.
Appropriate
To annex, as a benefice, to a spiritual corporation, as its property.
Necessary
A privy; a water-closet.
Appropriate
A property; attribute.
Necessary
Such things, in respect to infants, lunatics, and married women, as are requisite for support suitable to station.
Appropriate
Give or assign a share of money or time to a particular person or cause;
I will earmark this money for your research
Necessary
Anything indispensable;
Food and shelter are necessities of life
The essentials of the good life
Allow farmers to buy their requirements under favorable conditions
A place where the requisites of water fuel and fodder can be obtained
Appropriate
Take possession of by force, as after an invasion;
The invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants
The army seized the town
The militia captured the castle
Necessary
Absolutely essential
Appropriate
Suitable for a particular person or place or condition etc;
A book not appropriate for children
A funeral conducted the appropriate solemnity
It seems that an apology is appropriate
Necessary
Unavoidably determined by prior circumstances;
The necessary consequences of one's actions
Appropriate
Appropriate for achieving a particular end; implies a lack of concern for fairness
Appropriate
Meant or adapted for an occasion or use;
A tractor suitable (or fit) for heavy duty
Not an appropriate (or fit) time for flippancy
Appropriate
Suitable and fitting;
The tailored clothes were harmonious with her military bearing
Appropriate
Being of striking appropriateness and pertinence;
The successful copywriter is a master of apposite and evocative verbal images
An apt reply
Common Curiosities
Is necessity always objective?
While necessity tends to have a more objective basis, perceptions of necessity can still be influenced by individual priorities and values.
Can an action be both appropriate and necessary?
Yes, an action can be both appropriate and necessary if it is suitable for the situation and required to achieve a certain goal.
How does cultural context affect appropriateness?
Cultural context greatly influences what is considered appropriate, as norms and values differ across cultures.
How do societal norms influence what is considered appropriate?
Societal norms establish a framework for behavior, determining what is considered suitable or acceptable within a community.
Can the appropriateness of an action be subjective?
Yes, what is considered appropriate can vary greatly depending on personal values, cultural background, and specific situations.
Why is it important to distinguish between appropriate and necessary actions?
Distinguishing between them helps in making informed decisions that are both fitting for the situation and essential for achieving goals.
What makes an action appropriate?
An action is appropriate if it is suitable or fitting within the social norms and specific context of a situation.
Are there actions that are universally necessary?
Actions essential for survival, such as eating and drinking, are generally considered universally necessary.
Can the necessity of an action change over time?
Yes, the necessity of an action can change as circumstances, objectives, or requirements evolve.
How can one determine if an action is necessary?
Determining necessity involves assessing whether an action is indispensable for achieving a specific goal or fulfilling a requirement.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
