What does 'Necessity is the mother of invention' mean? - Idiom Definition

Testing
- Testing
  
  Test your knowledge of the English language.
  
  Includes tests, a question bank, quizzes, language polls and more.
  - Exam Tips
  - Question Bank
Reference
- Language Reference
  
  English language reference including definitions of English grammar terms, irregular verbs, phrasal verbs and idioms. Also includes links to online dictionaries.
  Idioms
  Phrasal Verbs
  Irregular Verbs
  - Irregular Verb A - Z
Articles
- Articles About Language
  
  Articles about learning, using and teaching the English language, including advice, tutorials, opinions and lesson plans from various authors and contributors. Articles cover topics from English grammar, spelling and punctuation, through to language teaching, career development, specialisations, and ideas and suggestions for the classroom.
Resources
- Language Resources
  
  English language resources for English learners and teachers to help you study, learn and teach English including text analysis, language tips, exam tips and help with study skills.
  Writing
  Tools
  - Text Analyser
  - Word Lists
  Shop
  - ESL Shop (UK)
  - ESL Shop (USA)
  More...
  - Directory of ESL Sites
Teaching
- Teaching English
  
  Resources and materials for ESL teachers including free ESL handouts and quizzes, PDF lesson plans, teacher articles and a directory of teaching and reference resources. Also provides access to questions from students and teaching forum topics.
  Teacher Materials
  Reading
  - The Editor's Blog
  - Speaking Out
  Teacher Forum
  - Teacher Forum
Forums
- Discussion Forums
  
  Our online discussion forums are the perfect place to quickly get help learning English. In addition to the UsingEnglish.com team of staff and moderators, we have a number of professional volunteer English teachers and language experts ready to answer your questions 24 hours a day.
  Browse Our Forums
  Ask a Teacher …
  
  If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:
  Ask a Teacher »

What does 'Necessity is the mother of invention' mean?

Difficult situations make people inventive.

Category: Men & women
Contributed By: Syed Yousuf Hussain

Idioms similar to 'Necessity is the mother of invention'

All idioms have been editorially reviewed, and submitted idioms may have been edited for correctness and completeness.

Idiom eBooks from UsingEnglish.com

Buy our lists of British English, American English and Animal idioms in PDF format. They're perfect to use offline for reference or for use in class!