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.

Origin of obligatory

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

Related formsob·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, adjectiveun·o·blig·a·to·ry, adjective

Synonyms for obligatory

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obligatory ON THESAURUS.COM

2. necessary, imperative.

Antonyms for obligatory

2. voluntary.

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

Related Words for obligatory

mandatory, unavoidable, imperative, requisite, compulsory, binding, enforced, imperious, necessary, coercive

Examples from the Web for obligatory

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
Romney, in his obligatory red, white, and blue uniform, did have some well-crafted zingers, but none were particularly poetic.
Five Takeaways from Mitt Romney’s Convention Speech
Matt Latimer
August 31, 2012

Historical Examples of obligatory

In France and in England, it is obligatory also to attend vespers on the Sundays.
Roman Catholicism in Spain
Anonymous
The study of these three languages is obligatory in the secondary schools.
Holland, v. 1 (of 2)
Edmondo de Amicis
For this is due to a confusion of the good or generous with the obligatory.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy
Isaac Husik
They made an obligatory and superficial search through the coal cellar.
Just Patty
Jean Webster
The presence of women in the synagogue was in many instances not obligatory.
Luna Benamor
Vicente Blasco Ibez

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

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).