compulsory
adjective
com·pul·so·ry
kəm-ˈpəl-sə-rē 
-ˈpəls-rē
2
: coercive, compelling
compulsory measures
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
Rustin’s next-door neighbor thought they should be sent directly from school to compulsory work gangs.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Obomsawin’s score accompanies Julian Brave NoiseCat’s and Emily Kassie’s documentary investigating the history of abuse at Indian residential schools in Canada, a system that became compulsory in 1894.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Inomata and his colleagues also believe that the site would have been built by willing participants, not compulsory labor used to construct many ancient wonders such as Egypt’s pyramids and later Maya cities.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Being a quick study is an invaluable knack in repertory theatre, which is where Hopkins, with a two-year interlude for compulsory military service, kicked off his career.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsory
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George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Obomsawin’s score accompanies Julian Brave NoiseCat’s and Emily Kassie’s documentary investigating the history of abuse at Indian residential schools in Canada, a system that became compulsory in 1894.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Inomata and his colleagues also believe that the site would have been built by willing participants, not compulsory labor used to construct many ancient wonders such as Egypt’s pyramids and later Maya cities.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Being a quick study is an invaluable knack in repertory theatre, which is where Hopkins, with a two-year interlude for compulsory military service, kicked off his career.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsory
Cite this Entry
“Compulsory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compulsory. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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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