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.
Obligatory spoiler warning: if you haven't watched this show, stop reading right now and go watch.
From Salon • Aug. 22, 2021
Obligatory "Tom Brady is old and no QB the age of 44 has ever done anything good in the NFL."
From Fox News • May 14, 2021
Obligatory 'selfie': The Curiosity rover has gained a reputation over the years that rivals those of Instagram users for its many "selfies" taken along its traverse.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2018
Obligatory photos in front of Lincoln Center’s famous fountain would have been quite different if Wallace K. Harrison’s ambitious proposals for the Metropolitan Opera hadn’t been quashed by untold layers of bureaucracy.
From New York Times • Oct. 30, 2017
On Sunday evening, Kate and Decca and I drive to my dad’s new house in the more expensive part of town for Weekly Obligatory Family Dinner.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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.
