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
-
mandatories
plural
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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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.
See Examples For:
To minimize arm injuries, Little League instituted age-specific pitch-count caps and mandatory rest periods 20 years ago, but not all travel clubs abide by the rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
On Thursday, the court announced it will hear arguments on the mandatory detention policy, likely to be scheduled for January.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Teachers refused to check homework or administer mandatory assessments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Molango wants to see a mandatory three-week summer break and a three-week "retraining" period every summer.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
I would lie, but there's no point now that we all carry mandatory identification papers.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
By giving up the belts, he is stepping away from mandatories, the politics and the pressure to keep defending against whoever is next in line.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
There is also the issue of Usyk's mandatories, which could throw up one particularly eye-catching encounter.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2022
Instead he has dealt with a string of decent but unspectacular mandatories in Hagler-esque fashion as they have shuffled tentatively into his range.
From The Guardian ● May 9, 2016
Greenleaf said he now believes that many mandatories are inequitable and fail in their intended purpose.
From Washington Times ● May 30, 2015
The way in which the mandatories and the mandated conceive that time will influence deeply their relations.
From Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann
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.
