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

For many straight men, their maiden journey to a strip club is an obligatory rite of passage, but for Baker, the incident was more fraught. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Dealers reinforce the advantage of leasing an EV by giving buyers their applicable tax credits at the point of sale, often bundling them to lower the obligatory drive-off costs. —Michael Harley, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

Achint Thakkar’s soundtrack scratches the itch of mainstream Hindi music (including the obligatory Arijit Singh vocal) as well as the emotional needs of the movie, with Raina lending his voice to two tracks. —Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2024

Though expanded in scope and scale, Fatigue maintains the Brooklyn musician’s skepticism toward the song form as an obligatory base unit of musical communication. —Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 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