mandatory

[ man-duh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

/ ˈmæn dəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mandatory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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, plural man·da·to·ries.

mandatary.

Nearby words

mandarinate, mandatary, mandate, mandates, mandator, mandatory, mande, mandean, mandeans, mandel, mandela

Origin of mandatory

From the Late Latin word mandātōrius, dating back to 1655–65. See mandate, -tory¹

SYNONYMS FOR mandatory

1 requisite, exigent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mandatory ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsman·da·to·ri·ly, adverbnon·man·da·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural non·man·da·to·ries.un·man·da·to·ry, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for mandatory

Now Wisconsin is considering making it mandatory for parents who adopt overseas to have their children “re-adopted” in the state.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For example, at age 10, he completed the local two-year mandatory preparatory program in just one year.
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thankfully, testing performers for STDs is mandatory—or so we thought.
Risky Business or None of Your Business? Gay XXX Films and the Condom Question|Aurora Snow|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at the same time, markets involve people in new roles and relationships, which can feel just as mandatory and unequal.
Why Your Waiter Hates You|Jedediah Purdy|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Miliband agreed with Cameron that a “mandatory and comprehensive program of de-radicalization” was needed.
David Cameron's Plan to Fight ISIS Will Likely Involve Racial Profiling|Clive Irving|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A great nation should be made the mandatory over an inferior people.
Public Speaking|Clarence Stratton
If he desired to win her favour, he must regard her wish as mandatory.
The Mayor of Warwick|Herbert M. Hopkins
The wishes of these communities must be a principal consideration in the selection of the mandatory power.
World's War Events, Volume III|Various
Not that the girls were here to bother Sammy Pinkney now; but he felt the oppressive effect of Dot's mandatory decree.
The Corner House Girls Growing Up|Grace Brooks Hill
No matter what measure he advocated, his opinion was neither final nor mandatory.
Paul and the Printing Press|Sara Ware Bassett

British Dictionary definitions for mandatory

mandatory

/ (ˈmændətərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

having the nature or powers of a mandate

obligatory; compulsory

(of a state) having received a mandate over some territory

noun plural -ries

Also called: mandatary a person or state holding a mandate

Derived Formsmandatorily, adverb

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 mandatory

mandatory

adj.

1570s, "of the nature of a mandate," from Late Latin mandatorius "pertaining to a mandator," from Latin mandatus, past participle of mandare (see mandate (n.)). Sense of "obligatory because commanded" is from 1818.

mandatory

adjective

noun, plural man·da·to·ries.

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Nearby words

Origin of mandatory

Examples from the Web for mandatory

British Dictionary definitions for mandatory

mandatory

adjective

noun plural -ries

Word Origin and History for mandatory

mandatory