mandatory

American  

[man-duh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈmæn dəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. authoritatively ordered; obligatory; compulsory.

   It is mandatory that all students take two years of math.

   Synonyms:

   exigent, requisite

2. pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing a command.

3. Law. permitting no option; not to be disregarded or modified.

   a mandatory clause.

4. having received a mandate, as a nation.

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noun

• mandatories
  plural

1. mandatary.

mandatory British  

/ ˈmændətərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. having the nature or powers of a mandate

2. obligatory; compulsory

3. (of a state) having received a mandate over some territory

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noun

1. Also called: mandatary.  a person or state holding a mandate

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmandatory
  adjective
• unmandatory
  adjective
• mandatorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mandatories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mandatory

From the Late Latin word mandātōrius, dating back to 1655–65. See mandate, -tory ¹

Explanation

In the US, attending school through the twelfth grade, driving on the right side of the road, and obtaining a social security number are all mandatory. The phrase "mandatory requirement" is redundant. A mandatory action is something that is required, obligatory, or compulsory. Like letting your Great Aunt Edna pinch your cheeks or passing gym to get your diploma. Mandatory is often used in opposition to optional. If you want to compete with the swim team at school, weeknight practices are mandatory, meaning you have to go, though the Saturday dawn swim practice remains optional, meaning it's up to you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mandatory mandatories

For example, Meta’s settlement gives teens the option to pick a non-algorithmic feed and turn off autoplay but, unlike in the legislation, it’s not mandatory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

That’s three to four years of coursework and clinical practice, followed by a mandatory one-year full-time internship.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Hrgovic admitted he had been "outboxed" but leaves London as Croatia's first heavyweight world champion, with Frank Sanchez waiting as the IBF mandatory challenger.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Approval of new single-stock leveraged products has been put on hold, and a mandatory cash deposit required to trade them was tripled to roughly $21,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

I would lie, but there's no point now that we all carry mandatory identification papers.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

By giving up the belts, he is stepping away from mandatories, the politics and the pressure to keep defending against whoever is next in line.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

There is also the issue of Usyk's mandatories, which could throw up one particularly eye-catching encounter.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2022

Instead he has dealt with a string of decent but unspectacular mandatories in Hagler-esque fashion as they have shuffled tentatively into his range.

From The Guardian ● May 9, 2016

Greenleaf said he now believes that many mandatories are inequitable and fail in their intended purpose.

From Washington Times ● May 30, 2015

Ferreted out by his mandatories, threatened with arrest by the Council, this Greek chose the lesser danger, and re-entered the Hôtel-de-Ville in mincing attitude.

From History of the Commune of 1871 by P. Lissagary

Related Words

• binding
• compulsory
• de rigueur
• essential
• forced
• imperative
• indispensable
• involuntary
• obligatory