Explaining "Necessity is the mother of invention"

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 07/10/2024, 03:26

English.me team member

What does it mean?

The phrase "Necessity is the mother of invention" means that challenging situations often inspire ingenious solutions. When people are faced with a problem or a need, they are motivated to come up with new ideas or inventions to address the issue.

Tone

Pragmatic and insightful

Origin

The origin of the phrase can be traced back to the work of ancient philosophers, like Plato in "The Republic," though the exact phrasing as we know it today became popular in the 16th century.

Examples of usage

With no easy way to light their homes at night, necessity became the mother of invention, leading to the creation of the electric light bulb.
During the pandemic, necessity was truly the mother of invention as businesses quickly adapted to remote work solutions.
The need to communicate over long distances led to the invention of the telephone, illustrating that necessity is the mother of invention.