compulsory

[kuhm-puhl-suh-ree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compulsory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

required; mandatory; obligatory: compulsory education.

using compulsion; compelling; constraining: compulsory measures to control rioting.

noun, plural com·pul·so·ries.

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

1510–20; < Medieval Latin compulsōrius, equivalent to Latin compul-, variant stem of compellere (see compel) + -sōrius, for -tōrius -tory¹; cf. compulsive

Related formscom·pul·so·ri·ly, adverbcom·pul·so·ri·ness, nounnon·com·pul·so·ri·ly, adverbnon·com·pul·so·ri·ly·ness, nounnon·com·pul·so·ry, adjectivequa·si-com·pul·so·ri·ly, adverbqua·si-com·pul·so·ry, adjectiveun·com·pul·so·ry, adjective

Antonyms for compulsory

1, 2. voluntary.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for compulsory

They had three years together before Ziad left to do his compulsory military service, leaving on her birthday, April 4, 2001.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is compulsory to note in every Kansas story that “the race may decide who controls the Senate.”
A Loss by Pat Roberts in Kansas? Actually, Not So Bizarre|Jeff Greenfield|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Compulsory dues translate into many tens of millions of dollars in political contributions to Democrats.
Why Progressives Shouldn’t Support Public Workers Unions|Dmitri Mehlhorn|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Education, while highly regarded here, is only compulsory through middle school.
The Second Life of San Miguel de Allende|Michele Willens|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Crop insurance does not cover losses of livestock, but it is compulsory for most farmers.
Midwest Drought Forces South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers to Abandon Crops and Thin Herds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|August 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The sense of the word as implying a compulsory service is shown in the Vulgate of Matt.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm
First, that attendance was not compulsory; and next, that it was too advanced for the state of society in the island.
At Last|Charles Kingsley
He concurred in the opinion of the Postmaster-General, and thought the principle of compulsory registration quite fair.
Her Majesty's Mails|William Lewins
The fact of compulsory education created a proletariat able and willing to read.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier
For a time, there should be no compulsory teaching to read and write at all.
Fantasia of the Unconscious|D. H. Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for compulsory

compulsory

adjective

required by regulations or laws; obligatorycompulsory education

involving or employing compulsion; compelling; necessary; essential

Derived Formscompulsorily, adverbcompulsoriness, 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

Word Origin and History for compulsory

adj.

1580s, from Medieval Latin compulsorius, from Latin compulsus, past participle of compellere (see compel).

compulsory

adjective

noun, plural com·pul·so·ries.

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Origin of compulsory

Antonyms for compulsory

Examples from the Web for compulsory

compulsory

adjective