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

Kubiak, who was KU’s wide-receivers coach in 2015, took part in his obligatory interview with CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson and did an imitation of Joe Namath. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Compulsory charitable collections, called zakat, are one of the pillars of Islam that function as an obligatory wealth tax on every eligible Muslim whose net worth is over a certain threshold. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2026

To return, board the hop-on, hop-off boat with your CityCard for a 90-minute city tour (hopping off not obligatory). — Adrienne Wyper, TheWeek, 17 Sep. 2026

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

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