obligatory

[uh-blig-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, ob-li-guh-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obligatory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

required as a matter of obligation; mandatory: A reply is desirable but not obligatory.

incumbent or compulsory (usually followed by on or upon): duties obligatory on all.

imposing moral or legal obligation; binding: an obligatory promise.

creating or recording an obligation, as a document.

Nearby words

Origin of obligatory

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin obligātōrius binding, equivalent to Latin obligā(re) to bind (see obligate) + -tōrius -tory¹

SYNONYMS FOR obligatory

2. necessary, imperative.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obligatory ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR obligatory

2. voluntary.

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Related forms

ob·lig·a·to·ri·ly

[uh-blig-uh-tawr-uh-lee, ‐tohr‐, ob-li-guh‐, uh-blig-uh-tawr-uh-lee, ‐tohr‐, ob-li-guh‐] /əˈblɪg əˌtɔr ə li, ‐ˌtoʊr‐, ˈɒb lɪ gə‐, əˌblɪg əˈtɔr ə li, ‐ˈtoʊr‐, ˌɒb lɪ gə‐/, adverbob·lig·a·to·ri·ness, nounnon·ob·lig·a·to·ri·ly, adverbnon·ob·lig·a·to·ry, adjective

un·o·blig·a·to·ry, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for obligatory

There was also the obligatory shopping spree at the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store across from Central Park.
Exclusive: Michael Jackson Hit With New Sex Abuse Claim|Diane Dimond|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, they showed up, wore their “Team Mitch” shirts, and joined in the obligatory anti-Obama chants.
McConnell's Fancy Farm Monster Comes Back to Haunt Him|Jonathan Miller|August 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I actually quit prefacing my Ralph Nader screeds with the obligatory he-gave-us-the-seatbelt boilerplate years ago.
Ralph Nader Has Truly Lost It|Michael Tomasky|July 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg (Knopf) Obligatory ‘Power’ SubtitleWomen, Work, and the Will to Lead.
Five Girl-Power Books Exactly Like Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’|Sean Macaulay|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And he took the obligatory shot at Obamacare as a law that “has no place in a free country.”
Paul Ryan’s Wonky Assault on President Obama at the Republican Convention|Howard Kurtz|August 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At four o'clock we left and drove about Schwerin, making the obligatory visits.
The Sunny Side of Diplomatic Life, 1875-1912|Lillie DeHegermann-Lindencrone
Disaffection was visible on all sides, and yet inaction, irritating inaction, was obligatory.
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 2 (of 6)|Louis Creswicke
It is obligatory upon the adversary or umpire to call “time!”
Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopdia of Sports and Amusements|Various
Commands enjoining Covenanting must be obligatory on men, in an individual, or in a social capacity, or in both.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
This is, in the exact sense of the words, a scène à faire--an obligatory scene.
Play-Making|William Archer

British Dictionary definitions for obligatory

obligatory

adjective

required to be done, obtained, possessed, etc

of the nature of or constituting an obligation

Derived Formsobligatorily, 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 obligatory

obligatory

adj.

c.1400, from Old French obligatoire "creating an obligation, obligatory," and directly from Late Latin obligatorius "binding," from obligat-, past participle stem of obligare (see oblige).

obligatory

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of obligatory

Examples from the Web for obligatory

obligatory

adjective

obligatory