compulsory
adjective
com·pul·so·ry
kəm-ˈpəls-rē 
-ˈpəl-sə-
2
: coercive, compelling
compulsory measures
Synonyms
Examples of compulsory in a Sentence
To free the mind and the heart from compulsory religious confession and observance was good for all three interested parties: the state, the church and the people.
—
Jon Meacham, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2009
So he wants a private life and no photographs and nobody to know his home address. I can dig it, I can relate to that (but, like he should try it when it's compulsory instead of a free-choice option).
—Salman Rushdie, New York Times Book Review, 14 Jan. 1990
He began to resent the compulsory attendance at the boring factory meetings.
—James Reston, Jr., Time, 28 Nov. 1988
compulsory retirement at age 70
Jon Meacham, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2009
So he wants a private life and no photographs and nobody to know his home address. I can dig it, I can relate to that (but, like he should try it when it's compulsory instead of a free-choice option).
—Salman Rushdie, New York Times Book Review, 14 Jan. 1990
He began to resent the compulsory attendance at the boring factory meetings.
—James Reston, Jr., Time, 28 Nov. 1988
compulsory retirement at age 70
Recent Examples on the Web
An early job as a lab technician was interrupted by five years of compulsory military service.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
That’s because voting is compulsory in Australia, with the threat of a fine for noncompliance, and turnout typically exceeds 90 percent.
—Victoria Kim, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2025
Gómez downplays the punitive aspect of it, and her subjects self-critically discuss the compulsory manual labor in positive terms.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Originally scheduled to become compulsory by mid-2024, the rollout was delayed after an external audit revealed irregularities in the KSeF's infrastructure.
—Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compulsory 
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Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
That’s because voting is compulsory in Australia, with the threat of a fine for noncompliance, and turnout typically exceeds 90 percent.
—Victoria Kim, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2025
Gómez downplays the punitive aspect of it, and her subjects self-critically discuss the compulsory manual labor in positive terms.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Originally scheduled to become compulsory by mid-2024, the rollout was delayed after an external audit revealed irregularities in the KSeF's infrastructure.
—Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compulsory
Dictionary Entries Near compulsory
Cite this Entry
“Compulsory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compulsory. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compulsory
adjective
com·pul·so·ry
kəm-ˈpəls-(ə-)rē
1
: required by or as if by law
compulsory education
2
: having the power of forcing someone to do something
a compulsory law
Legal Definition
compulsory
adjective
com·pul·so·ry
kəm-ˈpəl-sə-rē
1
: required or compelled by law : mandatory, obligatory
compulsory arbitration
compulsory insurance
specifically
: required to be brought or asserted in a pleading because of having arisen from the transaction or occurrence that is the subject of litigation
a compulsory counterclaim
compulsory reconvention
compare elective, permissive
2
: using compulsion : compelling
compulsory measures
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