Want vs. Need — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 24, 2024
A want is a desire for something that isn't essential for survival, while a need is a requirement vital for basic living and well-being.
Difference Between Want and Need
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Wants are characterized by personal desires or wishes that can enhance quality of life but are not essential for survival. For example, desiring the latest smartphone enhances convenience but isn't crucial. On the other hand, needs are fundamental requirements necessary for basic living, such as food, shelter, and water, without which survival would be compromised.
While wants are often driven by external influences, such as advertising or societal pressures, making them more fluid and subject to change, needs are more consistent, driven by inherent biological or psychological requirements for maintaining health and well-being.
Wants can vary greatly between individuals, influenced by personal preferences, cultural backgrounds, and socio-economic status. In contrast, needs are universal among humans, with all individuals requiring certain basics like air, food, and safety.
Fulfilling wants can lead to temporary satisfaction and pleasure, enhancing one’s lifestyle and personal happiness. However, meeting needs is crucial for physical and mental health, and neglecting them can lead to serious negative consequences.
The prioritization of wants over needs can lead to financial instability and emotional dissatisfaction, as the pursuit of desires without fulfilling basic requirements can disrupt inner peace and security. Conversely, understanding and meeting one's needs while balancing wants can lead to a more fulfilled and balanced life.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A desire for something not essential for survival.
A requirement vital for basic living and well-being.
Driven By
Personal desires, societal pressures.
Biological, psychological requirements.
Variability
High, changes with external influences.
Low, consistent across humans.
Fulfillment Outcome
Enhances lifestyle, temporary satisfaction.
Crucial for health, long-term well-being.
Impact of Neglect
May lead to dissatisfaction, but not harmful.
Can lead to severe health issues, psychological distress.
Compare with Definitions
Want
A desire for non-essential items or experiences.
She wants the latest fashion dress for her birthday.
Need
Necessary for physical and psychological health.
A balanced diet fulfills the need for proper nutrition.
Want
Can evolve with new trends and personal growth.
Her want for exotic vacations shifted to a desire for home comfort.
Need
Consistent across all humans, regardless of culture.
The need for emotional connection transcends cultural differences.
Want
Adds pleasure and satisfaction.
Buying art he wants enhances his home and mood.
Need
Remains constant despite changing circumstances.
Even after achieving success, the need for love and belonging persisted.
Want
Recognizing wants versus needs can lead to better financial and emotional health.
Despite wanting a new phone, he recognized the need to save money was more important.
Need
Essentials for survival and well-being.
Access to clean water is a fundamental need for everyone.
Want
Often shaped by trends and advertising.
His want for a luxury car was fueled by social media influencers.
Need
Must be met before pursuing wants.
She prioritized her need for dental care over the want for a new dress.
Want
The idea of want can be examined from many perspectives. In secular societies want might be considered similar to the emotion desire, which can be studied scientifically through the disciplines of psychology or sociology.
Need
A need is something that is necessary for an organism to live a healthy life. Needs are distinguished from wants.
Want
Have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for
We want to go to the beach
She wanted me to leave
I'll give you a lift into town if you want
I want an apple
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.
Want
Should or need to do something
You don't want to believe everything you hear
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).
Want
Lack something desirable or essential
You shall want for nothing while you are with me
Need
Necessity; obligation
There is no need for you to go.
Want
A lack or deficiency of something
For want of a better location we ate our picnic in the cemetery
Victorian houses which are in want of repair
Need
A condition of poverty or misfortune
The family is in dire need.
Want
A desire for something
The expression of our wants and desires
Need
To be under the necessity of or the obligation to
They need not come. You needn't be concerned.
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.
Need
To have need of; require
The family needs money. We need to get some more paint.
Want
To desire (someone to do something)
I want you to clean your room.
Need
To have an obligation (to do something)
You need to clean up your room.
Want
To request the presence or assistance of
You are wanted by your office.
Need
To be subject (to an action) by obligation
Bags need to be stowed underneath the seat in front of you.
Want
To seek with intent to capture
The fugitive is wanted by the police.
Need
To want to be subject to
We don't need another lecture on the subject.
Want
To have an inclination toward; like
Say what you want, but be tactful.
Need
To be in need or want.
Want
(Informal) To be obliged (to do something)
You want to be careful on the ice.
Need
To be necessary.
Want
To be in need of; require
"'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter" (Lewis Carroll).
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.
Want
To be without; lack.
Need
Lack of means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.
Want
To be inclined or desirous; wish
Call me daily if you want.
Need
(transitive) To have an absolute requirement for.
Living things need water to survive.
Want
The condition or quality of lacking something usual or necessary
Stayed home for want of anything better to do.
Need
(transitive) To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.
After ten days of hiking, I needed a shower and a shave.
Want
Pressing need; destitution
Lives in want.
Need
(modal verb) To be obliged or required (to do something).
You need not go if you don't want to.
Want
Something desired
A person of few wants and needs.
Need
(intransitive) To be required; to be necessary.
Want
A defect of character; a fault.
Need
To be necessary (to someone).
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.
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.
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.
Need
Want of the means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.
Famine is in thy cheeks;Need and oppression starveth in thine eyes.
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.
Need
That which is needful; anything necessary to be done; (pl.) necessary things; business.
Want
(intransitive) To desire (to experience desire); to wish.
You can leave if you want.
Need
Situation of need; peril; danger.
Want
To lack and be in need of or require (something, such as a noun or verbal noun).
That chair wants fixing.
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.
Want
To have occasion for (something requisite or useful); to require or need.
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.
Want
To be lacking or deficient or absent.
There was something wanting in the play.
Need
Of necessity. See Needs.
Want
To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.
The paupers desperately want.
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
Want
To lack and be without, to not have (something).
She wanted anything she needed.
Need
Anything that is necessary but lacking;
He had sufficient means to meet his simple needs
I tried to supply his wants
Want
To lack and (be able to) do without.
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
Want
(countable) A desire, wish, longing.
Need
A state of extreme poverty or destitution;
Their indigence appalled him
A general state of need exists among the homeless
Want
Lack, absence, deficiency.
A want of sense.
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
Want
(uncountable) Poverty.
Need
Have need of;
This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner
Want
Something needed or desired; a thing of which the loss is felt.
Need
Have or feel a need for;
Always needing friends and money
Want
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
Want
(dialectal) A mole (Talpa europea).
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.
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.
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.
Want
A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
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.
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.
Want
To feel need of; to wish or long for; to desire; to crave.
I want to speak to you about something.
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.
Want
A state of extreme poverty
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
Want
Anything that is necessary but lacking;
He had sufficient means to meet his simple needs
I tried to supply his wants
Want
A specific feeling of desire;
He got his wish
He was above all wishing and desire
Want
Feel or have a desire for; want strongly;
I want to go home now
I want my own room
Want
Have need of;
This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner
Want
Wish or demand the presence of;
I want you here at noon!
Want
Hunt or look for; want for a particular reason;
Your former neighbor is wanted by the FBI
Uncle Sam wants you
Want
Be without, lack; be deficient in;
Want courtesy
Want the strength to go on living
Flood victims wanting food and shelter
Common Curiosities
What is the difference between a want and a need?
Wants are desires for non-essential items, while needs are essential for survival and well-being.
Can fulfilling a want ever be as important as meeting a need?
While meeting needs is vital, fulfilling wants can significantly contribute to mental health and personal satisfaction.
Is it wrong to pursue wants?
Not at all, as long as it’s done after fulfilling one’s needs and within one's means, pursuing wants is part of a fulfilling life.
Are the basic human needs the same for everyone?
Yes, basic human needs, such as food, water, shelter, and safety, are universal.
How do societal factors influence wants?
Society, through advertising and cultural norms, often shapes our desires and perceptions of what we want.
How does one balance wants and needs?
Balancing involves meeting essential needs first and then using available resources to satisfy wants responsibly.
How do psychological needs differ from physical ones?
Psychological needs, like belonging and esteem, impact mental and emotional well-being, whereas physical needs are essential for bodily functions and survival.
Why is it important to distinguish between wants and needs?
It helps in budgeting and prioritizing resources for a balanced and sustainable lifestyle.
Why do wants seem to change more frequently than needs?
Wants are influenced by external factors like trends and personal growth, making them more fluid.
Can ignoring wants lead to dissatisfaction?
Yes, continuously ignoring wants can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and lack of fulfillment.
Do children differentiate between wants and needs effectively?
Typically, children learn to differentiate over time with guidance and experience.
Can a want become a need?
Rarely, though certain wants, if they significantly impact quality of life or well-being, may be viewed as needs over time.
How does technology impact our wants and needs?
Technology can create new wants by introducing conveniences and innovations we hadn’t considered before.
How can one effectively manage wants?
By setting priorities, budgeting wisely, and differentiating between fleeting desires and genuine interests.
What role does gratitude play in balancing wants and needs?
Gratitude helps in appreciating what we already have, reducing the constant pursuit of new wants and focusing on genuine needs.
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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
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
