man·da·to·ry
ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē 
1
: required by a law or rule : obligatory
the mandatory retirement age
2
: of, by, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate
plural mandatories
: one given a mandate
especially
: a nation holding a mandate from the League of Nations
Did you know?
Something mandatory is the result of a mandate or order, which usually comes in the form of a law, rule, or regulation. Today there seem to be a lot of these mandates, so mandatory seat belts, mandatory inspections for industries, and mandatory prison sentences for violent crimes are regularly in the news. But mandatory retirement at age 65, which used to be common, is now illegal in most cases.
Examples of mandatory in a Sentence
Adjective
Parents object to the mandatory nature of the shots—and the fact that their child's access to education hinges on compliance with the immunization regulations.
—
Alice Park, Time, 2 June 2008
In a move some are calling a "backdoor draft," the Pentagon has announced it will issue mandatory recalls to more than 5,600 Army troops for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
—Nathaniel Frank, Washington Post, 12 July 2004
At the same time, the 1987 repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, which ended mandatory balanced coverage of politics, gave birth to talk radio, and the television universe splintered between the old networks and the new culture of cable gladiators in which opinion was more entertaining than information and cheaper to produce as well.
—Nancy Gibbs, Time, 27 Sept. 2004
the tests are mandatory for all students wishing to graduate
Alice Park, Time, 2 June 2008
In a move some are calling a "backdoor draft," the Pentagon has announced it will issue mandatory recalls to more than 5,600 Army troops for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
—Nathaniel Frank, Washington Post, 12 July 2004
At the same time, the 1987 repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, which ended mandatory balanced coverage of politics, gave birth to talk radio, and the television universe splintered between the old networks and the new culture of cable gladiators in which opinion was more entertaining than information and cheaper to produce as well.
—Nancy Gibbs, Time, 27 Sept. 2004
the tests are mandatory for all students wishing to graduate
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Because Social Security benefit programs are considered mandatory spending by law, they are not impacted by the lapse in funding appropriations.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
This potential is especially true for omnichannel sales as shipping cutoffs make in-store shopping mandatory.
—Fairchild Studio, WWD, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mandatory
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Adjective
The initiative stems from a previous policy that implemented a mandatory DNA dog tracking system.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Because Social Security benefit programs are considered mandatory spending by law, they are not impacted by the lapse in funding appropriations.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Noun
With the Pixel 10 Pro (and the rest of the Pixel 10 family), Google has made the use of the Battery Health Assistant mandatory, which has a significant impact on users.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
This potential is especially true for omnichannel sales as shipping cutoffs make in-store shopping mandatory.
—Fairchild Studio, WWD, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mandatory
Cite this Entry
“Mandatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandatory. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
mandatory
adjective
man·da·to·ry
ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē
: containing or constituting a command : being obligatory
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