Examples of compulsory in a Sentence
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
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
He began to resent the compulsory attendance at the boring factory meetings.
—James Reston, Jr., Time, 28 Nov. 1988
compulsory retirement at age 70
Jon Meacham, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2009
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
He began to resent the compulsory attendance at the boring factory meetings.
—James Reston, Jr., Time, 28 Nov. 1988
compulsory retirement at age 70
Recent Examples on the Web
The dominance of the AI theme over stock-market performance, corporate profitability, economic growth and investor attention has grown so extreme that some very large structural questions now seem urgent and compulsory.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Until recently both were compulsory and couldn’t be removed.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Alito asked whether that child, born to an Iranian citizen, and therefore also an Iranian citizen, was still subject to Iran’s law requiring compulsory military service.
—Michael Szalma, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 May 2026
Not only is Irish the Republic’s first official language, and compulsory from primary through to secondary school, it is required for entry into the civil service, and it is supported by its own radio station (Raidió na Gaeltachta) and TV station (TG4), and a range of promotional bodies.
—Big Think, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsory
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Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Until recently both were compulsory and couldn’t be removed.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Alito asked whether that child, born to an Iranian citizen, and therefore also an Iranian citizen, was still subject to Iran’s law requiring compulsory military service.
—Michael Szalma, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 May 2026
Not only is Irish the Republic’s first official language, and compulsory from primary through to secondary school, it is required for entry into the civil service, and it is supported by its own radio station (Raidió na Gaeltachta) and TV station (TG4), and a range of promotional bodies.
—Big Think, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsory
Cite this Entry
“Compulsory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compulsory. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compulsory
adjective
com·pul·so·ry
kəm-ˈpəls-(ə-)rē 
1
: required by or as if by law
compulsory education
2
: having the power of forcing someone to do something
a compulsory law
Legal Definition
compulsory
adjective
com·pul·so·ry
kəm-ˈpəl-sə-rē
1
: required or compelled by law : mandatory, obligatory
compulsory arbitration
compulsory insurance
specifically
: required to be brought or asserted in a pleading because of having arisen from the transaction or occurrence that is the subject of litigation
a compulsory counterclaim
compulsory reconvention
compare elective, permissive
2
: using compulsion : compelling
compulsory measures
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