1
as in mandatory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
in this state, school attendance is obligatory until the age of 16
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
the obligatory cliff-hanger endings for season finales of TV shows
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obligatory
Plus, the solo work JIN started on November’s Happy EP reverberates on his new 7-track set, Echo, which comes nearly a year after the K-pop idol became the first of his BTS bandmates to be discharged from the South Korean military after an 18-month obligatory service period.
—
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 May 2025
People genuinely feel for the guy, and not in some obligatory, performative, thoughts-and-prayers kind of way.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Kudos to the show for avoiding obligatory romantic tension on either front.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
So Mother’s Day has become less of an obligatory, mark-your-calendar celebration and more of an increasingly bittersweet event, one that will eventually stop happening altogether.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 May 2025
People genuinely feel for the guy, and not in some obligatory, performative, thoughts-and-prayers kind of way.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Kudos to the show for avoiding obligatory romantic tension on either front.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
So Mother’s Day has become less of an obligatory, mark-your-calendar celebration and more of an increasingly bittersweet event, one that will eventually stop happening altogether.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligatory
Adjective
-
In the case of a mandatory model, this could potentially lead to court challenges from physician groups, in addition to the pharmaceutical industry.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
Jonnu Smith is being paid like an NFL backup, and until that market correction gets addressed nobody should expect the tight end to grace the practice field until next week’s mandatory minicamp.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Zverev had given his window for that day in the morning and so was put out by being told that the test was compulsory.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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Love in the Spectrum isn’t exactly free-range dating — dates are set up by the show, followed up on (no fear of ghosting), and dissected by participants — but there is no compulsory finish line.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The approval of the amendment's ballot title and popular name, which are used as shorthand to describe the measure on the ballot, is a required step before the League of Women Voters can begin collecting signatures.—
Neal Earley,
Arkansas Online,
22 May 2025
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The petition drive was a required step to keep the cityhood application process going.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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While infants and toddlers between the ages of 0 to 2 years are more likely to experience a stuffy nose, cough, poor appetite, fussiness, and sleep problems, children between the ages of 3 to 5 years mainly complain of sleepiness, feeling tired during daytime, low energy and dry cough.—
Anuradha Varanasi,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Family members said Jacobs had talked about feeling tired, but not about wanting to take his own life.—
Ames Alexander,
Charlotte Observer,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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High gas prices tend to put pressure on the incumbent party, which in California is the Democratic Party, of course.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 June 2025
-
Then-President Trump endorsed his opponent, incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan, in the primary and Grimm ended up losing the election.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Temperatures will remain cooler than usual, with highs reaching 69 degrees in the metro.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2025
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Nvidia’s Jensen Huang was more somber than usual on the AI juggernaut’s conference call following its blockbuster earnings, according to CNBC’s Kristina Partsinevelos , who has been analyzing all the action in the cult stock for the last 24 hours.—
John Melloy,
CNBC,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Nothing of the sort is necessary for Barkov, whose reputation as the best two-way center in the league (at least based on Selke voting) is deserved.—
The Athletic NHL Staff,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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More than 60% of homeowners in both areas are willing to forgo customization of their new homes if financial compromises are necessary.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligatory. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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