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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Comparison Chart
Definition
Essential for survival or well-being
Desire for something not necessary
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Origin
Stem from basic life requirements
Driven by personal preference, culture
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Economic Perspective
Basic requirements for sustaining life
Additional desires for comfort, luxury
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Psychological Aspect
Linked to survival and basic well-being
Linked to personal desires, aspirations
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Need and Want Definitions
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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).
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
To be under the necessity of or the obligation to
They need not come. You needn't be concerned.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To request the presence or assistance of
You are wanted by your office.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
To have need of; require
The family needs money. We need to get some more paint.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
To have an obligation (to do something)
You need to clean up your room.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
To be subject (to an action) by obligation
Bags need to be stowed underneath the seat in front of you.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
(Informal) To be obliged (to do something)
You want to be careful on the ice.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To be in need of; require
"'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter" (Lewis Carroll).
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
The condition or quality of lacking something usual or necessary
Stayed home for want of anything better to do.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
(transitive) To have an absolute requirement for.
Living things need water to survive.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
(transitive) To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.
After ten days of hiking, I needed a shower and a shave.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
(modal verb) To be obliged or required (to do something).
You need not go if you don't want to.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
(intransitive) To desire (to experience desire); to wish.
You can leave if you want.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
Want of the means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.
Famine is in thy cheeks;Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
.
You’ll want to repeat this three or four times to get the best result.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
That which is needful; anything necessary to be done; (pl.) necessary things; business.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To lack and be in need of or require (something, such as a noun or verbal noun).
That chair wants fixing.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To have occasion for (something requisite or useful); to require or need.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To be lacking or deficient or absent.
There was something wanting in the play.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.
The paupers desperately want.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To lack and be without, to not have (something).
She wanted anything she needed.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
Anything that is necessary but lacking;
He had sufficient means to meet his simple needs
I tried to supply his wants
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
A state of extreme poverty or destitution;
Their indigence appalled him
A general state of need exists among the homeless
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
Something vital for mental well-being.
Children need love and security.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
A prerequisite for achieving something.
You need a passport to travel abroad.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Need
Indicating the absence of something essential.
This recipe needs more salt.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Want
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
To feel need of; to wish or long for; to desire; to crave.
I want to speak to you about something.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
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.
Shumaila Saeed
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
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
Anything that is necessary but lacking;
He had sufficient means to meet his simple needs
I tried to supply his wants
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
A specific feeling of desire;
He got his wish
He was above all wishing and desire
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
Feel or have a desire for; want strongly;
I want to go home now
I want my own room
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
Hunt or look for; want for a particular reason;
Your former neighbor is wanted by the FBI
Uncle Sam wants you
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Want
Be without, lack; be deficient in;
Want courtesy
Want the strength to go on living
Flood victims wanting food and shelter
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Are needs always related to survival?
Mostly, but they can also relate to emotional and social well-being.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can the fulfillment of wants lead to happiness?
Temporarily, though long-term happiness often depends on meeting needs.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Are wants limitless?
Wants can be endless, as they often grow with exposure to new options.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can a want become a need?
Yes, under certain circumstances, a want can evolve into a need.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Are needs the same for everyone?
Basic needs are generally universal, but specific needs can vary.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can wants have a negative impact?
Excessive wants can lead to financial stress or materialism.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Is it possible to live without wants?
While challenging, minimalism focuses on living with minimal wants.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Do children differentiate between needs and wants?
Younger children may struggle to distinguish between the two.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can a want be justified as a need?
In some cases, individuals may rationalize a want as a need.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can societal influence change needs?
Basic needs remain constant, but societal factors can influence specific needs.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Are needs always physical?
No, needs can also be psychological or emotional.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can advertising turn a need into a want?
Advertising often blurs the line by portraying wants as needs.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can technology create new needs?
Technology can lead to new types of needs, like digital connectivity.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Are emotional needs as important as physical ones?
Yes, emotional well-being is as vital as physical health.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Is it important to balance needs and wants?
Balancing needs and wants is crucial for a sustainable lifestyle.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Is prioritizing needs over wants a good practice?
Yes, it's often essential for financial well-being and life satisfaction.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Do needs and wants influence each other?
Yes, they often interact and influence each other's perception and importance.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Can wants change over time?
Wants often change with age, experiences, and cultural influences.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Do needs reflect socio-economic status?
Basic needs are similar, but how they're met can vary with socio-economic status.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Is it easier to satisfy a need or a want?
Generally, it's easier to satisfy a need since wants can be more complex.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 16, 2023
Share this page
Link for your blog / website
HTML
Link to share via messenger
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.
Hifza Nasir
Shumaila Saeed
