the.com/necessary evil
The thing you hate but would miss more if it vanished.
means Something unpleasant or undesirable that must be accepted because the alternative, or its absence, would be worse.
from A straightforward compound of 'necessary' and 'evil,' tracing to classical and medieval political and religious thought — philosophers wrestling with things like government, taxation, or even marriage, concluding they were 'evils' in some sense but ones society couldn't function without. The phrase has circulated in English since at least the 1500s, often in debates justifying institutions that chafe but hold things together.
- logic trap
- calls something both bad and required, unapologetically
- common use
- taxes, lawyers, alarm clocks, middle management
- origin
- traced to ancient debates on government's purpose
- sneaky function
- often excuses things that are just convenient, not necessary