mandatory

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adjective man·da·to·ry \ ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of mandatory

1 :required by a law or rule :obligatory

the mandatory retirement age

2 :of, by, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate

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mandatorily

play \-ˌtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

See mandatory defined for English-language learners

See mandatory defined for kids

Examples of mandatory in a Sentence

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 of mandatory from the Web

Earlier the industry fought rules for mandatory power backup.

— todd shields, Bloomberg.com, "Harvey Knockout of Cell Service Revives Talk of Backup Power," 30 Aug. 2017
Tougher mandatory codes mean higher costs, which means fewer homes.

— christopher flavelle, chicagotribune.com, "Harvey could reshape how and where Americans build," 30 Aug. 2017
The night before, the waters were over the bridge, said Sharon Beck, a resident in the McDade Estates neighborhood that was put under mandatory evacuation.

— ryan osborne, star-telegram, "40 miles from downtown Houston, ‘We thought the rain was going to come but not flood’," 29 Aug. 2017
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for parts of several coastal counties south of Houston, home to hundreds of thousands of people.

— julie turkewitz, richard pÉrez-peÑa and jack healy, New York Times, "Deluged Texas Braces for More Rain, and Years of Recovery," 28 Aug. 2017
Thousands of Texas residents spent Friday fleeing from the path of the storm, with more than a dozen coastal counties under mandatory evacuation orders.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "‘The Rainfall Threat Is Only Beginning’," 26 Aug. 2017
AP The FCC proposes to end mandatory neutrality for internet service providers.

— by tom hudson, miamiherald, "No neutrality on net neutrality among internet-centric companies," 25 Aug. 2017
Eye contact was mandatory, and a handshake was as stiff as the drinks that were served.

— adam popescu, vanityfair.com, "Inside the Private, Celebrity-Friendly Terminal at LAX," 16 Aug. 2017
A mandatory parents' meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27.

— Post-Tribune, "Community news," 16 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mandatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of mandatory

see ¹mandate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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mandatory Synonyms

Synonyms

compulsory, 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

mandatory

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noun man·da·to·ry \ ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of mandatory

plural mandatories

:one given a mandate; especially :a nation holding a mandate from the League of Nations

Recent Examples of mandatory from the Web

Tests to check that older vehicles in Washington’s most-populous areas comply with emission regulations: Mandatory.

— jessica lee, The Seattle Times, "With newer, cleaner cars on the road, is Washington’s vehicle emission test still necessary?," 31 July 2017
But some mandatories come with parole In some cases, a minimum sentence will still be imposed, but the convict would be newly eligible for parole.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Here's how Louisiana sentencing laws are changing under criminal justice reform," 26 June 2017
But some mandatories come with parole In some cases, a minimum sentence will still be imposed, but the convict would be newly eligible for parole.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Here's how Louisiana sentencing laws are changing under criminal justice reform," 26 June 2017
Like Obamacare, which essentially makes health care mandatory for everyone, insurance coverage is compulsory in Germany.

— patrick may, The Mercury News, "How countries around the world do single-payer health care," 2 June 2017
Against Mandatory Minimums counts 22 states that have cut sentencing guidelines for drug offenders.

— jon schuppe, NBC News, "Republican States Make the Case Against Trump’s Drug Policy," 19 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of mandatory

see ¹mandate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1661

See Words from the same year

MANDATORY Defined for English Language Learners

mandatory

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adjective

Definition of mandatory for English Language Learners

: required by a law or rule

MANDATORY Defined for Kids

mandatory

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adjective man·da·tory \ ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of mandatory for Students

:required by law or by a command

Student attendance is mandatory.

Word Root of mandatory

The Latin word mandāre, meaning “to commit” or “to order,” gives us the root mand. Words from the Latin mandāre have something to do with committing or ordering. When a task is mandatory, someone has ordered that it must be done. To command is to order someone to do something. A mandate is an order from an authority to follow specific instructions.

Law Dictionary

mandatory

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adjective man·da·to·ry \ ˈman-də-ˌtȯr-ē \

legal Definition of mandatory

:containing or constituting a command :being obligatory

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mandatorily

play \-ˌtȯr-i-lē\ adverb

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Origin and Etymology of mandatory

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mandatory

Definition of mandatory

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Origin and Etymology of mandatory

MANDATORY Defined for English Language Learners

mandatory

Definition of mandatory for English Language Learners

MANDATORY Defined for Kids

mandatory

Definition of mandatory for Students

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mandatory

legal Definition of mandatory

mandatorily

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