compulsory
Americanadjective
-
required; mandatory; obligatory.
compulsory education.
- Antonyms:
- voluntary
-
using compulsion; compelling; constraining.
compulsory measures to control rioting.
- Antonyms:
- voluntary
noun
-
compulsories
plural
adjective
-
required by regulations or laws; obligatory
compulsory education
-
involving or employing compulsion; compelling; necessary; essential
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
compulsorinessnoun
-
noncompulsorilynessnoun
-
noncompulsoryadjective
-
quasi-compulsoryadjective
-
uncompulsoryadjective
-
compulsorilyadverb
-
noncompulsorilyadverb
-
quasi-compulsorilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of compulsory
1510–20; < Medieval Latin compulsōrius, equivalent to Latin compul-, variant stem of compellere ( see compel) + -sōrius, for -tōrius -tory 1; cf. compulsive
Explanation
When something is compulsory, it is required or must be done. In most states, it's compulsory for kids to attend school (or an equivalent homeschool) from age six to seventeen. This adjective is from Medieval Latin compulsorius, "using force," from Classical Latin compellere, "to force." The Latin suffix –orius corresponds to English -ory, "containing or involving." Other English words descended from the same Latin verb are compel and compulsive.
Vocabulary lists containing compulsory
Night
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The Bill of Rights
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Grade 11, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Welsh history is now a compulsory part of the Curriculum for Wales.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Prince Harald returned with his family to Norway at the end of the war and completed his school and compulsory military service.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
It said this was the fourth year in which the survey was compulsory for employers to complete.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
While queuing is often not compulsory, it is often an "unwritten and unspoken" social contract, according to an expert in moral philosophy.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The argument went that we benefitted from compulsory education, as it provides a livelihood for formerly enslaved, who couldn’t find gainful employment after the war.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
What made these compulsories different was the manner in which the two-time defending world champions went through it.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 27, 2021
The synchronized divers must still perform them, however — compulsories are the first two dives the pairs do.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 2016
But if the ISU wants to be that literal-minded, it might as well bring back compulsories.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2014
“I like everything to be neat and tidy and symmetrical,” Scott said in reflecting on the exactness of her compulsories.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2012
Scott usually dominated the compulsories, the tracing of figure-eight variations, which accounted for 60 percent of the scoring in her era, but she deftly executed spins and leaps as well.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
