optional
Americanadjective
-
left to one's choice; not required or mandatory.
Formal dress is optional.
- Synonyms:
- voluntary, elective, discretional
-
leaving something to choice.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of optional
Explanation
If you can choose whether or not to do something, it is optional. Extra credit is always optional; death and taxes are not. When you buy a new car, you can decide which options or choices, you would like. Things like a DVD player mounted in the ceiling are optional, you don't need them for the car to work, and it's up to you if you want to pay more for them. The opposite of optional is mandatory. If you're in high school, going to bed at 8:00 is optional, for your little sister in elementary school, it's mandatory.
Vocabulary lists containing optional
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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New Kid
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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.
This is not an insurance policy, per se, it’s an optional agreement that waives your financial responsibility if the rental car is damaged or stolen.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
A couple of the optional choices that farms can apply for as part of the SFS were announced by the government as part of the budget announcement.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
West said recess first thing in the day isn’t ideal and noted part of it became optional in practice because some children wouldn’t arrive until later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The hot honey is optional, but it nudges the whole thing into sweet-salty cocktail snack territory in a way I highly recommend.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
For the second time she reminded Cora of the lessons in reading and writing, which were optional but recommended, in keeping with their mission of colored uplift, especially for those with aptitude.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
