obligatory
Americanadjective
-
required as a matter of obligation; mandatory.
A reply is desirable but not obligatory.
-
incumbent or compulsory (usually followed by on orupon ).
duties obligatory on all.
- Synonyms:
- imperative, necessary
- Antonyms:
- voluntary
-
imposing moral or legal obligation; binding.
an obligatory promise.
-
creating or recording an obligation, as a document.
adjective
-
required to be done, obtained, possessed, etc
-
of the nature of or constituting an obligation
Other Word Forms
- nonobligatorily adverb
- nonobligatory adjective
- obligatorily adverb
- obligatoriness noun
- unobligatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of obligatory
1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin obligātōrius binding, equivalent to Latin obligā ( re ) to bind ( obligate ) + -tōrius -tory 1
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.
The ATP on Thursday announced a slight compromise with disgruntled players by reducing the number of obligatory tournaments they must play each year in an ever more packed schedule.
From Barron's
But this is optional, not obligatory — especially if your daughter has said that she is happy with the current plans for her bat mitzvah.
From MarketWatch
The Cecchettin Foundation wants them to be obligatory and start early, when young people get access to the internet.
From BBC
Fittingly, “The Thinker” has been moved to a prominent spot by the new pedestrian entrance, where everyone can see it — and take an obligatory selfie — on their way to the front doors.
From Los Angeles Times
I didn’t find hope or inspiration within these pages — the book felt more like an obligatory postmortem with an already established conclusion.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
