obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry ə-ˈbli-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 

ä-,

ˈä-bli-gə- 

1

: binding in law or conscience

The ordinance made it obligatory that homeowners clear the snow from the sidewalks.

2

: relating to or enforcing an obligation

a writ obligatory

3

: mandatory, required

obligatory military service

also : so commonplace as to be a convention, fashion, or cliché

the obligatory death scene in opera

The thriller included the obligatory chase scene.

4

: obligate sense 1

an obligatory biped

obligatorily

ə-ˌbli-gə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē 

ä-

ˌä-bli-gə- 

adverb

Synonyms

• compulsory
• forced
• imperative
• incumbent
• involuntary
• mandatory
• necessary
• nonelective
• peremptory
• required

Examples of obligatory in a Sentence

The training is obligatory for all personnel.

This action movie includes the obligatory chase scenes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The political terrain had shifted: For the first time, the country made voting obligatory, bringing millions of unpredictable new voters to the process. —Sammy Feldblum, The Dial, 30 Jan. 2025

As a genre exercise, the horror is all hum-drum nonsense, with the sudden outbursts of violence feeling obligatory rather than earned. —Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025

Best Restaurants Dinghy Dock Just a few blocks from Culebra's ferry terminal, the waterfront Dinghy Dock is an obligatory first stop for every visitor to the island. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2025

But in the obligatory final reckoning at the end of each year, only a handful of items truly cross the joy threshold. —Jonathan Margolis, airmail.news, 9 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English obligatorie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French obligatorie, obligatoire, borrowed from Latin obligātōrius, from obligāre "to tie up, restrain by tying, place under a legal or moral constraint" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix, originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor — more at oblige

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-,

 also  ˈäb-li-gə-

: not to be left out, forgotten, or ignored : being required

Medical Definition

obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry

ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē, ä-, -ˌtȯr- also ˈäb-li-gə-

: obligate sense 1

obligatorily

ə-ˌblig-ə-ˈtōr-ə-lē, ä-, -ˈtȯr- also ˌäb-li-gə-

adverb