optional

op·tion·al | \ ˈäp-shnəl

How to pronounce optional (audio)

, -shə-nᵊl \

Definition of optional

: involving an option : not compulsory

Other Words from optional Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about optional

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Examples of optional in a Sentence

Jackets are required at the restaurant, but ties are optional. Many optional features are available on this car. Registration is optional, not mandatory.

Recent Examples on the Web Signature dish: Pizza with some veggies, potent cheese and an (optional) farm egg. — Michael Russell | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, "Meet Portland’s restaurants of the decade," 29 Dec. 2019 Currently, $10 donations are optional, but starting Monday, the $10 donation will be required. — USA TODAY, "Surfing Santas, endangered red wolves, who owns the letter ‘O’?: News from around our 50 states," 28 Dec. 2019 Furniture has been designed to accompany the home's style, but remains optional, so the homeowner can bring antiques along. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Muji Released a Pre-Fab Home Built for Minimalists," 23 Dec. 2019 Instead of only two Thunderbolt ports, HP added a number of additional ports to the laptop: one USB-A port, one HDMI port, one headphone jack, one lock slot, and one nano SIM slot (for optional 4G LTE). — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "HP Elite Dragonfly review: Luxurious, professional, expensive," 15 Dec. 2019 Does the Baked Potato Bar call for (optional) trout or salmon roe? — Washington Post, "11 cookbooks that inspired us in 2019," 9 Dec. 2019 Progressive Catholics argue that clerical celibacy should be optional, while conservative Catholics insist this discipline is fundamental to the faith. — Vincent J. Miller, The Conversation, "Pope affirms Catholic Church’s duty to indigenous Amazonians hurt by climate change," 18 Oct. 2019 Costumes are optional, but a prize will be awarded to the best. — Pomerado News, "Community Calendar - Oct. 10-31, 2019," 9 Oct. 2019 Membership in those unions is optional, under Arizona's right-to-work laws. — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, "Does Phoenix force employees to pay for unions? Goldwater Institute lawsuit says yes," 8 Oct. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near optional

optional referendum

Statistics for optional

Last Updated

6 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Optional.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optional. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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