obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry ə-ˈbli-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 

ä-, 

ˈä-bli-gə- 

1

: binding in law or conscience

The ordinance made it obligatory that homeowners clear the snow from the sidewalks.

2

: relating to or enforcing an obligation

a writ obligatory

3

: mandatory, required

obligatory military service

also : so commonplace as to be a convention, fashion, or cliché

the obligatory death scene in opera

The thriller included the obligatory chase scene.

4

: obligate sense 1

an obligatory biped

obligatorily

ə-ˌbli-gə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē 

ä-, 

ˌä-bli-gə- 

adverb

Synonyms of obligatory

• mandatory
• compulsory
• required
• incumbent
• necessary

Examples of obligatory in a Sentence

The training is obligatory for all personnel.

This action movie includes the obligatory chase scenes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Those were the obligatory calls, to his brothers in the Oakland Fire Department, to his father, Bob, retired after thirty-five years, and his uncle, Tom, who’d put in twenty-six. — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

In that light, so what if the flirtation between Ian and Sally feels reverse-engineered from a checklist of obligatory Practical Magic plot elements? — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

But her subsequent campaigning has not been notable and has been largely limited to obligatory Democratic events and Pritzker bill signings. — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

The obligatory weekly hour-long class was introduced in September 2022 to promote the Kremlin’s views on patriotism and Russian history including the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English obligatorie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French obligatorie, obligatoire, borrowed from Latin obligātōrius, from obligāre "to tie up, restrain by tying, place under a legal or moral constraint" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix, originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor — more at oblige

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for obligatory

• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory
• celebratory
• circulatory
• combinatory
• commendatory
• compensatory
• condemnatory
• confirmatory
• confiscatory

Kids Definition

obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

also ˈäb-li-gə-

: not to be left out, forgotten, or ignored : being required

Medical Definition

obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry

ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē, ä-, -ˌtȯr- also ˈäb-li-gə-

: obligate sense 1

obligatorily

ə-ˌblig-ə-ˈtōr-ə-lē, ä-, -ˈtȯr- also ˌäb-li-gə-

adverb