mandatory

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

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: mandatory in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

That aspect of the settlement was mandatory for Maricopa County — a move Recorder Adrian Fontes cheered.

— dustin gardiner, azcentral, "Republican secretary of state candidates spar over Arizona's voter-registration rules," 6 July 2018
The researchers are suggesting that the 5G specification be revised to make integrity assurance mandatory.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "LTE wireless connections used by billions aren’t as secure as we thought," 29 June 2018
Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 / 1:50 When is a background check mandatory for gun owners?

— jared gilmour, miamiherald, "Teen swapped beer for ‘hunting trip’ shotgun — then used it for murder, NY prosecutors say," 6 June 2018
Madaleno fought him and helped make that funding mandatory.

— michael dresser, baltimoresun.com, "Gubernatorial candidate Rich Madaleno begins cable TV campaign in Baltimore region," 24 May 2018
Jackson said on the last day of mandatory minicamp.

— katherine fominykh, baltimoresun.com, "After mentoring Michael Vick, new Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban getting Lamar Jackson up to speed," 13 July 2018
In fact, prescribing adequate pain medication became mandatory for hospital accreditation.

— kathleen hoffman, STAT, "Opioid stigma is keeping many cancer patients from getting the pain control they need," 6 July 2018
Border security tightened after the terror attacks on U.S. soil on Sept. 11, 2001, and again in 2008, when proof of citizenship such as a passport became mandatory.

— phoebe wall howard, Detroit Free Press, "Windsor residents keep crossing into 'funner' Detroit," 25 June 2018
Unhappy over their contracts, six high-profile players skipped mandatory minicamps, risking fines of nearly $90,000 each.

— mike jones, USA TODAY, "10 takeaways of the NFL's offseason heading into training camps," 18 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

mandatory Synonyms

mandatory

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

Separately, an Iceland law that took effect Jan. 1 makes equal pay for equal work mandatory in the northern European nation, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality.

— kevin mccoy, USA TODAY, "Citi to boost pay for women and minorities, closing gaps in the U.S., UK, and Germany," 15 Jan. 2018
Buying such insurance is quasi-mandatory, since banks won’t issue mortgages unless a property is covered.

— emanuel ubert, Washington Post, "The strange story of how Florida’s lawmakers subsidized hurricane insurance," 13 Sep. 2017
In August, Medicare officials proposed canceling mandatory bundled payments for certain surgeries and scaling back the program for knee and hip replacements.

— chad terhune, Kaiser Health News, "Why One California County Went Surgery Shopping," 1 Sep. 2017
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
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
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
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

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

MANDATORY Defined for English Language Learners

mandatory

adjective

Definition of mandatory for English Language Learners

: required by a law or rule

MANDATORY Defined for Kids

mandatory

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.