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.
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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
-
(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.
Eritrea is sometimes called Africa’s version of North Korea because of its mandatory conscription and lack of civil society.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Eritrea is sometimes called Africa’s version of North Korea because of its mandatory conscription and lack of civil society.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
The car was awaiting mandatory maintenance and was not being actively used by department personnel at the time of discovery, according to the release.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Surfshark, also headquartered in Amsterdam, benefits from strong privacy protections and no mandatory data retention laws.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
Somewhere in between the teasing and the bickering, I’d come to think of him as more than a mandatory partner.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
