compulsory

com·pul·so·ry

adjective \kəm-ˈpəls-rē, -ˈpəl-sə-\

Definition of COMPULSORY

1

: mandatory, enforced <compulsory retirement>

2

: coercive, compelling <compulsory measures>

— com·pul·so·ri·ly \-rə-lē\ adverb

Examples of COMPULSORY

1. <compulsory retirement at age 70>
2. 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
3. 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
4. He began to resent the compulsory attendance at the boring factory meetings. —James Reston, Jr., Time, 28 Nov. 1988

Origin of COMPULSORY

(see compulsion)

First Known Use: 1581

Related to COMPULSORY

Synonyms

mandatory, forced, imperative, incumbent, involuntary, necessary, nonelective, obligatory, peremptory, required

Antonyms

elective, optional, voluntary

Related Words

all-important, essential, indispensable, needed, requisite; insistent, persistent, pressing, urgent; demanded, enforced; coercive

Near Antonyms

chosen, discretionary; dispensable, unnecessary, unneeded, unwanted; inconsequential, insignificant, nonessential, unimportant