obligatory
Americanadjective
-
required as a matter of obligation; mandatory.
A reply is desirable but not obligatory.
-
incumbent or compulsory (usually followed by on orupon ).
duties obligatory on all.
- Synonyms:
- imperative, necessary
- Antonyms:
- voluntary
-
imposing moral or legal obligation; binding.
an obligatory promise.
-
creating or recording an obligation, as a document.
adjective
-
required to be done, obtained, possessed, etc
-
of the nature of or constituting an obligation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obligatory
1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin obligātōrius binding, equivalent to Latin obligā ( re ) to bind ( see obligate) + -tōrius -tory 1
Explanation
Obligatory describes something you do because you have to, not because you want to. When you buy a car, you have to fill out the obligatory forms. In many homes, saying please and thank you is obligatory. Obligatory derives from the verb oblige, as in "after she was so nice, I felt obliged to take her a present." Some people feel burdened by lives of common obligation, giving presents, returning phone calls, eating birthday cake, attending religious services––none of which they feel any real desire to do.
Vocabulary lists containing obligatory
Persepolis
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All American Boys
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George Washington's Farewell Address (1796)
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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.
The obligatory face-off at the end lasted less than a minute and a half, and only ended when Hearn stepped between the fighters, before the heavyweights exchanged a respectful handshake.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
The group returned to the world spotlight in March after an almost four-year pause so its members could carry out their obligatory military service.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Rick Atkinson’s “The British Are Coming,” about the Revolutionary War, is beautifully written and started off with a bang, but soon the accounts of battles, with their obligatory suffering and death, became too much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
“Stranger Things” stretched years between seasons as its young cast aged into adulthood, returning to massive viewership, but, some critics and fans argued, with an ending that felt obligatory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
I heard the officer, his voice tired and uninterested, asking his obligatory questions.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
