compulsory
required; mandatory; obligatory: compulsory education.
using compulsion; compelling; constraining: compulsory measures to control rioting.
something, as an athletic feat, that must be performed or completed as part of a contest or competition: The ice skater received a higher score on the compulsories than on her freestyle performance.
Origin of compulsory
1Opposites for compulsory
Other words from compulsory
- com·pul·so·ri·ly, adverb
- com·pul·so·ri·ness, noun
- non·com·pul·so·ri·ly, adverb
- non·com·pul·so·ri·ly·ness, noun
- non·com·pul·so·ry, adjective
- qua·si-com·pul·so·ri·ly, adverb
- qua·si-com·pul·so·ry, adjective
- un·com·pul·so·ry, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use compulsory in a sentence
In 2015, president Barack Obama advocated for voting to become compulsory in the US, on the grounds that it would “counteract money” in politics and increase the say of younger, more diverse, more progressive voters.
One concern is that the band members still need to complete the two years of compulsory military service required of all South Korean men.
BTS members’ net worth balloons by millions as their music label stages a massive IPO | Naomi Xu Elegant | October 15, 2020 | FortuneSo we haven’t historically made registration automatic nor have we made the act of voting compulsory.
How to fix America’s voter registration system so more people can vote | Jen Kirby | October 6, 2020 | VoxPublic health officials cite the high public acceptance of restrictions, such as compulsory mask wearing in stores and on public transportation.
I think we should make it compulsory that something can be repaired — say, the right to repair instead of the right to buy.
The intellect is thus kept compulsorily and delightfully occupied from the start to the finish.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)We have both voluntarily and compulsorily cut off the production of goods which are unnecessary for war purposes.
To enable a company to take the land of a private man compulsorily a private Act of Parliament was necessary.
Speculations from Political Economy | C. B. ClarkeWe employed private teachers for the children, at the hours not compulsorily absorbed by the public.
The Missing Link in Modern Spiritualism | A. Leah UnderhillBecause owing to the urgent need for fighting men, the standard of fitness was compulsorily low.
Feminism and Sex-Extinction | Arabella Kenealy
British Dictionary definitions for compulsory
/ (kəmˈpʌlsərɪ) /
required by regulations or laws; obligatory: compulsory education
involving or employing compulsion; compelling; necessary; essential
Derived forms of compulsory
- compulsorily, adverb
- compulsoriness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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