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mandatory

[ man-duh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]
/ ˈmæn dəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

forced, involuntary, indispensable, binding, essential, obligatory, imperative, compulsory, requisite, commanding, compelling, imperious, needful, irremissible

Nearby words

  1. mandarinate,
  2. mandatary,
  3. mandate,
  4. mandates,
  5. mandator,
  6. mande,
  7. mandean,
  8. mandeans,
  9. mandel,
  10. mandela

Origin of mandatory

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

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper