mandatory
Americanadjective
-
authoritatively ordered; obligatory; compulsory.
It is mandatory that all students take two years of math.
-
pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing a command.
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Law. permitting no option; not to be disregarded or modified.
a mandatory clause.
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having received a mandate, as a nation.
noun
plural
mandatoriesadjective
-
having the nature or powers of a mandate
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obligatory; compulsory
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(of a state) having received a mandate over some territory
noun
Other Word Forms
- mandatorily adverb
- nonmandatory adjective
- unmandatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of mandatory
From the Late Latin word mandātōrius, dating back to 1655–65. See mandate, -tory 1
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.
Moreno Valley residents south of John F. Kennedy Drive were also under mandatory evacuation orders.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
By then, World Athletics had tightened its rules after the 2016 Rio Olympics, when all three medallists in the women's 800 metre final were DSD athletes, introducing mandatory sex testing in 2025.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
BTS – comprising members RM, Jin, Saga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – took a collective hiatus in 2022 for each of them to participate in South Korean mandatory military service.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
"The mining sector is such a robust and sensitive sector -- it can't be governed through press statements," he told AFP, calling for legislation to include mandatory minimum sentences for convicted offenders.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
And in the late nineteenth century the Congress made its reading a mandatory ritual on Washington’s birthday.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
