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.
-
Law. permitting no option; not to be disregarded or modified.
a mandatory clause.
-
having received a mandate, as a nation.
noun
adjective
-
having the nature or powers of a mandate
-
obligatory; compulsory
-
(of a state) having received a mandate over some territory
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mandatory
From the Late Latin word mandātōrius, dating back to 1655–65. See mandate, -tory 1
Explanation
In the US, attending school through the twelfth grade, driving on the right side of the road, and obtaining a social security number are all mandatory. The phrase "mandatory requirement" is redundant. A mandatory action is something that is required, obligatory, or compulsory. Like letting your Great Aunt Edna pinch your cheeks or passing gym to get your diploma. Mandatory is often used in opposition to optional. If you want to compete with the swim team at school, weeknight practices are mandatory, meaning you have to go, though the Saturday dawn swim practice remains optional, meaning it's up to you.
Vocabulary lists containing mandatory
List 2
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Twelve Angry Men
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All American Boys
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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.
Thales later plans to launch a mandatory tender offer for the remainder of the company at the same price.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
It will then file a mandatory tender offer for 100% of Exail’s shares and bonds, with the closing of the deal expected at the beginning of 2028 at the latest, Thales said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
The appeals come with Netflix recently having announced it wants to work toward capping mandatory investments, currently set at 20 percent of revenue.
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
Wiltshire Police said they had received a number of calls relating to the suspect prior to the collision and had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
We then took on another hundred new cases after the decision banning mandatory life without parole for juveniles.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
