mandatory

1 of 2

adjective

man·​da·​to·​ry ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce mandatory (audio)
1
: required by a law or rule : obligatory
the mandatory retirement age
2
: of, by, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate
mandatorily adverb

mandatory

2 of 2

noun

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Experts said industry resistance to mandatory security was only part of the problem. Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Repealing city laws that call for mandatory sentencing beyond what is required by the state. Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2024 Once the election process starts, management often holds mandatory meetings with staff to make the case against union representation, and that convinces some earlier supporters of the union to end their support. Chris Isidore, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 In the dissent, Justice Gorsuch explained that in the 1980s and 1990s, Congress adopted a series of mandatory minimum prison sentences that led, in part, to a skyrocketing increase in the federal prison population in less than a decade. Abbie Vansickle, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 For many years, religious Zionist families were hesitant for their sons to fulfill Israel’s mandatory three-year army service, worried that exposure to secular peers would erode their faith. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Hope on the Street (both the show and album) comes as J-Hope continues to complete his mandatory military service in South Korea. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 California also has begun the mandatory recycling of waste, such as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and soiled paper by including it with the door-to-door collection of yard waste. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 But across demographics, survivors generally supported rehabilitation over punishment (57% to 33%), mental health investments over prison (77% to 12%), and shorter sentences over mandatory terms (73% to 20%). Allen Arthur, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
In his first year, Risher cut 30% of Lyft’s workforce, introduced new features like one that matches women passengers and women drivers, and made returning to the office mandatory. Phil Wahba, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024 India’s health ministry is holding mock drills to ensure that hospitals are prepared for a groundswell of COVID cases, the BBC reported Monday, noting that some states have again made mask-wearing in public mandatory. Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 14 Apr. 2023 The country’s health ministry is holding mock drills to ensure that hospitals are prepared for rising COVID cases, the BBC reported Monday, noting that some states have again made mask-wearing in public mandatory. Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 11 Apr. 2023 Sánchez’s decision to pass a law making board parity mandatory is aligned with a European Union directive issued last year, which demands that such laws be passed in the region by 2026. Rodrigo Orihuela, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2023 Tiny New Hampshire is shelling out almost $5million this year to offer the shot free to girls 11 to 18, and 24 other statesare considering making the vaccine mandatory, which suggests that 5 milliondoses is just the tip of the iceberg. Emily Saarman, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2017 Simson said that the commission could consider making a voluntary 15% gas demand reduction mandatory, with the EU so far averaging around a 10% cut compared with previous years. John Ainger, Bloomberg.com, 12 Oct. 2022 Bush then shared that she and Burton were told that Lenz had refused to do the photoshoot, making Bush’s participation mandatory. Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2022 First, the rival World Boxing Association was first in line among the three sanctioning bodies for the Spence mandatory, with Lithuania’s Eimantas Stanionis – the WBA's secondary welterweight champion – positioned for the title shot. Lance Pugmire, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mandatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see mandate entry 1

Noun

see mandate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1661, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mandatory was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mandatory

Cite this Entry

“Mandatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandatory. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mandatory

adjective
man·​da·​to·​ry
ˈman-də-ˌtōr-ē,
-ˌtȯr-
1
: containing or constituting a command : obligatory
the assembly was mandatory for all students
2
: of, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate

Legal Definition

mandatory

adjective
man·​da·​to·​ry ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce mandatory (audio)
: containing or constituting a command : being obligatory
mandatorily adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on mandatory

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