Difference Between Essential and Necessary

Essential vs Necessary

Essential and Necessary are two words that are often confused as words that give the same meaning. Strictly speaking they are two words that give different meanings under different situations and their usages are different too.

It is important to know that essential and necessary are adjectives that express importance or urgency. At the same time most often the sentences that have either ‘essential’ or ‘necessary’ in them begin with it’s. For example

1. It’s essential for the theaters to have good ventilation.

2. It’s necessary for all the three of us to report to duty.

You can see that both the sentences begin with it’s. As a matter of fact to insist the importance or urgency of the issue sometimes the word ‘absolutely’ is used as in the case of the same sentences given above.

1. It’s absolutely essential for the theaters to have good ventilation.

2. It’s absolutely necessary for all the three of us to report to duty.

The adjective ‘essential’ is used in a heavier sense than the adjective ‘necessary’ as far as the urgency or importance of the object or issue is concerned. For example

1. Water is essential for man to survive.

2. Hard work is necessary to achieve the desired results.

In the first sentence it is understood that water is absolutely important for man to survive. In the second sentence you can see that hard work is important to achieve the desired results. Otherwise results will be there but not as desired. This is the inner meaning of the usage of the adjective ‘necessary’. Thus the adjective ‘necessary’ is less effective when compared to the adjective ‘essential’.

The word ‘essential’ implies ‘a must do or have’ situation. These are the differences between essential and necessary.