Need vs. Want: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
"Need" refers to something essential or required, whereas "Want" indicates a desire or wish for something not necessary.
Key Differences
Needs are essentials for survival or well-being, like food and shelter. Wants, in contrast, are desires for non-essentials, like luxury items. This distinction is crucial in understanding human motivation and economic behavior.
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From a psychological standpoint, needs often stem from an inherent requirement for survival and well-being. Wants, however, are driven by personal preferences and desires, influenced by factors like culture and personal experiences.
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In economics, needs are the basic requirements for sustaining life and maintaining health, whereas wants are additional desires that contribute to comfort and enjoyment. This distinction is important for understanding consumer behavior and market dynamics.
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Maslow's hierarchy of needs illustrates that basic needs must be met before addressing wants. While needs are non-negotiable for functional living, wants are flexible and often luxury-oriented.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Essential for survival or well-being
Desire for something not necessary
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Origin
Stem from basic life requirements
Driven by personal preference, culture
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Economic Perspective
Basic requirements for sustaining life
Additional desires for comfort, luxury
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Psychological Aspect
Linked to survival and basic well-being
Linked to personal desires, aspirations
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Need and Want Definitions
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Need
A condition or situation in which something must be supplied in order for a certain condition to be maintained or a desired state to be achieved
Crops in need of water.
A child's need for affection.
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Need
Something required or wanted; a requisite
"Those of us who led the charge for these women's issues ... shared a common vision in the needs of women" (Olympia Snowe).
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Want
To have a strong feeling to have (something); wish (to possess or do something); desire greatly
She wants a glass of water. They want to leave.
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Need
To be under the necessity of or the obligation to
They need not come. You needn't be concerned.
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Want
To request the presence or assistance of
You are wanted by your office.
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Need
To have need of; require
The family needs money. We need to get some more paint.
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Need
To have an obligation (to do something)
You need to clean up your room.
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Need
To be subject (to an action) by obligation
Bags need to be stowed underneath the seat in front of you.
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Want
(Informal) To be obliged (to do something)
You want to be careful on the ice.
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Want
To be in need of; require
"'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter" (Lewis Carroll).
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Need
A requirement for something; something needed.
There's no need to speculate; we can easily find out for sure.
She grew irritated with his constant need for attention.
Our needs are not being met.
I've always tried to have few needs beyond food, clothing and shelter.
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Want
The condition or quality of lacking something usual or necessary
Stayed home for want of anything better to do.
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Need
(transitive) To have an absolute requirement for.
Living things need water to survive.
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Need
(transitive) To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.
After ten days of hiking, I needed a shower and a shave.
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Need
(modal verb) To be obliged or required (to do something).
You need not go if you don't want to.
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Want
(transitive) To wish for or desire (something); to feel a need or desire for; to crave or demand.
What do you want to eat?
I want you to leave.
Never wanted to go back to live with my mother.
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Want
(by extension) To make it easy or tempting to do something undesirable, or to make it hard or challenging to refrain from doing it.
The game developers of Candy Crush want you to waste large, copious amounts of your money on in-game purchases to buy boosters and lives.
Depression wants you to feel like the world is dark and that you are not worthy of happiness. The first step to making your life better from this day forward is to stop believing these lies.
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Want
To wish, desire, or demand to see, have the presence of or do business with.
Ma’am, you are exactly the professional we want for this job.
Danish police want him for embezzlement.
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Need
A state that requires supply or relief; pressing occasion for something; necessity; urgent want.
And the city had no need of the sun.
I have no need to beg.
Be governed by your needs, not by your fancy.
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Want
(intransitive) To desire (to experience desire); to wish.
You can leave if you want.
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Need
Want of the means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.
Famine is in thy cheeks;Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes.
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Want
.
You’ll want to repeat this three or four times to get the best result.
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Need
That which is needful; anything necessary to be done; (pl.) necessary things; business.
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Want
To lack and be in need of or require (something, such as a noun or verbal noun).
That chair wants fixing.
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Want
To have occasion for (something requisite or useful); to require or need.
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Need
To be in want of; to have cause or occasion for; to lack; to require, as supply or relief.
Other creatures all day longRove idle, unemployed, and less need rest.
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Want
To be lacking or deficient or absent.
There was something wanting in the play.
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Need
To be wanted; to be necessary.
When we have done it, we have done all that is in our power, and all that needs.
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Want
To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.
The paupers desperately want.
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Want
To lack and be without, to not have (something).
She wanted anything she needed.
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Need
A condition requiring relief;
She satisfied his need for affection
God has no need of men to accomplish His work
There is a demand for jobs
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Need
Anything that is necessary but lacking;
He had sufficient means to meet his simple needs
I tried to supply his wants
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Need
The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior;
We did not understand his motivation
He acted with the best of motives
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Need
A state of extreme poverty or destitution;
Their indigence appalled him
A general state of need exists among the homeless
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Need
Require as useful, just, or proper;
It takes nerve to do what she did
Success usually requires hard work
This job asks a lot of patience and skill
This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice
This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert
This intervention does not postulates a patient's consent
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Want
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
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Need
Something vital for mental well-being.
Children need love and security.
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Want
The state of not having; the condition of being without anything; absence or scarcity of what is needed or desired; deficiency; lack; as, a want of power or knowledge for any purpose; want of food and clothing.
And me, his parent, would full soon devourFor want of other prey.
From having wishes in consequence of our wants, we often feel wants in consequence of our wishes.
Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and more saucy.
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Need
A prerequisite for achieving something.
You need a passport to travel abroad.
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Want
Specifically, absence or lack of necessaries; destitution; poverty; penury; indigence; need.
Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches, as to conceive how others can be in want.
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Oct 19, 2023
Want
That which is needed or desired; a thing of which the loss is felt; what is not possessed, and is necessary for use or pleasure.
Habitual superfluities become actual wants.
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Need
Indicating the absence of something essential.
This recipe needs more salt.
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Want
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
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Want
To be without; to be destitute of, or deficient in; not to have; to lack; as, to want knowledge; to want judgment; to want learning; to want food and clothing.
They that want honesty, want anything.
Nor think, though men were none,That heaven would want spectators, God want praise.
The unhappy never want enemies.
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Want
To have occasion for, as useful, proper, or requisite; to require; to need; as, in winter we want a fire; in summer we want cooling breezes.
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Want
To feel need of; to wish or long for; to desire; to crave.
I want to speak to you about something.
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Want
To be absent; to be deficient or lacking; to fail; not to be sufficient; to fall or come short; to lack; - often used impersonally with of; as, it wants ten minutes of four.
The disposition, the manners, and the thoughts are all before it; where any of those are wanting or imperfect, so much wants or is imperfect in the imitation of human life.
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Want
To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.
You have a gift, sir (thank your education),Will never let you want.
For as in bodies, thus in souls, we findWhat wants in blood and spirits, swelled with wind.
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Oct 19, 2023
Want
The state of needing something that is absent or unavailable;
There is a serious lack of insight into the problem
Water is the critical deficiency in desert regions
For want of a nail the shoe was lost
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Want
Anything that is necessary but lacking;
He had sufficient means to meet his simple needs
I tried to supply his wants
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Want
A specific feeling of desire;
He got his wish
He was above all wishing and desire
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Want
Feel or have a desire for; want strongly;
I want to go home now
I want my own room
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Want
Hunt or look for; want for a particular reason;
Your former neighbor is wanted by the FBI
Uncle Sam wants you
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Want
Be without, lack; be deficient in;
Want courtesy
Want the strength to go on living
Flood victims wanting food and shelter
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
Are needs always related to survival?
Mostly, but they can also relate to emotional and social well-being.
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Can the fulfillment of wants lead to happiness?
Temporarily, though long-term happiness often depends on meeting needs.
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Are wants limitless?
Wants can be endless, as they often grow with exposure to new options.
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Can a want become a need?
Yes, under certain circumstances, a want can evolve into a need.
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Are needs the same for everyone?
Basic needs are generally universal, but specific needs can vary.
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Can wants have a negative impact?
Excessive wants can lead to financial stress or materialism.
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Is it possible to live without wants?
While challenging, minimalism focuses on living with minimal wants.
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Do children differentiate between needs and wants?
Younger children may struggle to distinguish between the two.
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Can a want be justified as a need?
In some cases, individuals may rationalize a want as a need.
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Can societal influence change needs?
Basic needs remain constant, but societal factors can influence specific needs.
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Are needs always physical?
No, needs can also be psychological or emotional.
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Can advertising turn a need into a want?
Advertising often blurs the line by portraying wants as needs.
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Can technology create new needs?
Technology can lead to new types of needs, like digital connectivity.
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Are emotional needs as important as physical ones?
Yes, emotional well-being is as vital as physical health.
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Is it important to balance needs and wants?
Balancing needs and wants is crucial for a sustainable lifestyle.
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Is prioritizing needs over wants a good practice?
Yes, it's often essential for financial well-being and life satisfaction.
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Do needs and wants influence each other?
Yes, they often interact and influence each other's perception and importance.
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Can wants change over time?
Wants often change with age, experiences, and cultural influences.
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Do needs reflect socio-economic status?
Basic needs are similar, but how they're met can vary with socio-economic status.
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Is it easier to satisfy a need or a want?
Generally, it's easier to satisfy a need since wants can be more complex.
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Nov 16, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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