How to Use optional in a Sentence

optional

adjective

• Jackets are required at the restaurant, but ties are optional.
• Many optional features are available on this car.
• Registration is optional, not mandatory.
• The pecans in the recipe are optional.
  — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
• All-wheel drive is optional for both camper vans.
  — New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
• The long straps that hang off your child's car seat are not optional.
  — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
• Where due process is not optional.
  — Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
• Blue cheese and sliced chiles optional.
  — Deputy Food Editor, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
• Place the basil leaves (and optional lemon zest) into a clean glass jar.
  — Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
• Planning for a new jail is not optional.
  — La'tasha Givens, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
• Vests are optional for drivers as of now.
  — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
• Knead with your hands (gloves optional) until the dough is no longer sticky.
  — Risa Polansky Shiman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
• Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional.
  — Josh Max, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021
• That kind of control is no longer optional.
  — Andrea Hill, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
• If breaks are optional, are short breaks ever paid?
  — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2025
• Front-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive is optional.
  — James Raia, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
• All of the resort's menu items are plant-based, with some optional meat add-ons.
  — Karen Cicero, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
• Add in a pinch of salt (optional splash of vinegar) and bring to a boil 2.
  — Ashia Aubourg, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
• Manners seem to be optional these days.
  — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
• At that point, AI is no longer optional.
  — Syed Ali, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
• The safety rules above are not optional.
  — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
• Those costs are neither small nor optional.
  — Tony Julianelle, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
• But our skin tones aren’t optional features.
  — Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 22 Oct. 2025
• All the work is optional and will not count toward a student’s grade.
  — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2023
• The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
  — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
• In the model home, the optional third floor has a full bathroom.
  — Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
• The optional microwave mounts in the storage area on top of the fridge.
  — C.c. Weiss may 17, New Atlas, 17 May 2026
• The mirror is adaptable, with an optional floor stand or wall mount set-up.
  — Jennifer Nied, Women's Health, 14 July 2023
• Many have made the tests optional, and some won’t consider them at all.
  — Rich Lowry, National Review, 2 May 2023
• The city moved to the third stage on Friday, which is no longer optional.
  — Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026