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Need or want?
Need: noun - necessity for a person or thing; a condition or time of
difficulty, distress, or trouble, lacking or requiring some necessary thing;
exigency, emergency, crisis; destitution, lack of the means of subsistence or
of necessaries, poverty; requiring or being motivated to do, a necessity to do;
something requiring action; a particular point or respect in which some necessity
or want is present or is felt; a piece of necessary business; something wanted,
a requirement.
Want: noun - lacking something desirable or necessary; deficiency or
shortage; lacking the necessities of life; penury; poverty, famine, starvation;
hardship or suffering; a condition marked by the lack of some necessity; need; something
needed or desired; a requirement, a request; a defect, fault or shortcoming.
When I decided to compare
these two words, in common with many older folk, I assumed their dictionary
definitions would support my preconceptions. However, the good old SOED has
educated me once again. On the face of it, the two words can be interchanged more
or less unconditionally.
BUT, when it comes to that
oft heard phrase, 'I need…' usually uttered by an offspring, there is a
distinction that should be made, I think.
Children of all ages, and
I include those adults who refuse to mature, often state that they need something
when they simply desire it. Usage suggests that, in most cases, they 'want'
what they call a 'need'. I think I can best express this by explaining that in
this particular case, 'want' indicates desire and 'need' indicates necessity.
So:
'I need a new dress,
skirt, etc.' should properly be expressed as 'I want a new…' since the item in
question is not a necessity but something desired.
'I need a text book, set
of pens, breakfast, etc.' is fine, as these are necessities for either life or
schooling.
The dividing line is fine
and, probably, subjective, but I think all parents will know where it should be
drawn.
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