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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obligatory
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
See all Example Sentences for obligatory 
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
See all Example Sentences for obligatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligatory
Adjective
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With that being said, most states have guidelines that require restaurants to disclose mandatory gratuities as well as service charges prior to someone dining at their establishment.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Texas law calls for a mandatory 21-day waiting period after a school superintendent finalist is named before the board can take action to hire the superintendent.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Tragedies can be examined by those outside of its sphere of destruction, but the groundswell of feeling from Mexican viewers and critics is that there was little or no care taken to understand the cultural grief beyond stereotyped spectacle.—
Lucy Ford,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
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Founded by artists who grew up in Maryvale, Salcido said the purpose of Labor is to be the bridge that shows the artistic capacity and potential of Maryvale because the neighborhood is too often stereotyped, underrepresented and ignored.—
David Ulloa Jr,
The Arizona Republic,
6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Bringing in an independent arbitrator to review both sides’ arguments typically occurs when contract discussions are stalled or there is a stalemate and is a required step before the union can go on strike.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2025
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Nvidia is still working on the certification process for Samsung Electronics Co.’s high-bandwidth memory chips, a final required step before the Korean company can begin supplying a component essential to training AI platforms.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While their rap beef was a major moment for Hip-Hop and has elevated multiple personalities and podcasts, some people are tired of discussing it; Charlamagne seems to fall into that demographic.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
11 Feb. 2025
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People get tired and begin complaining about the sketch.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Neither former Mayor Bill de Blasio nor incumbent Mayor Adams signed the Council bill; as both mayors were getting good legal advice.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
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Craig’s opponent, incumbent Republican Jason Lewis, spent $1.9 million.—
Contributed Content,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And of course Taylor Swift was there as usual to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce.—
Jane Tyska,
The Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2025
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Automakers typically design models for seven-year life cycles, at a usual cost of about $1 billion.—
Brett Berk,
Robb Report,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The forecasts can seem effortless, but behind the scenes, a vast network of satellites, airplanes, radar, computer models and weather analysts are providing access to the latest data – and warnings when necessary.—
Christine Wiedinmyer,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2025
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But some sort of reform will be necessary to prevent the program from insolvency as it's expected to run out of money by 2035, according to a Bloomberg report.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
10 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near obligatory
Cite this Entry
“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligatory. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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