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.
“Mormon Wives” viewers made Taylor Frankie Paul famous for a reason, as she reminded its viewers during her obligatory promotional visit to “Good Morning America.”
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
She’s been with the company since and holds onto memories of touring and the obligatory “company meetings” that Berkett turned into surprise birthday celebrations for the dancers.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
Helmets are obligatory for those being carried - fancy dress is expected.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
Mescal had done the usual “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth” as a drama student, but he says it seemed obligatory for an aspiring actor to love Shakespeare.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
These were the obligatory so-called Studienreisen, or study tours, their goal being the students’ acquisition of the necessary grounding in “the modern developments in Physics” that was simply unattainable in the United States.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
