1
as in mandatory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
in this state, school attendance is obligatory until the age of 16
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
the obligatory cliff-hanger endings for season finales of TV shows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obligatory
There also was the obligatory question about his chile preference, red or green.
—
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
There is one obligatory scene of Arthur working on his 1966 Jaguar E-Type out in his garage.
—Mike Ryan, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
When it’s done poorly, onboarding comes across as an obligatory chore, a series of bureaucratic hoops to jump through.
—Alain Hunkins, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
And, outside of the duo’s mother-daughter moments, the chef also shared a picture of her cat and a photo of herself dessert-shopping — plus an obligatory food pic, of course.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
There is one obligatory scene of Arthur working on his 1966 Jaguar E-Type out in his garage.
—Mike Ryan, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
When it’s done poorly, onboarding comes across as an obligatory chore, a series of bureaucratic hoops to jump through.
—Alain Hunkins, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
And, outside of the duo’s mother-daughter moments, the chef also shared a picture of her cat and a photo of herself dessert-shopping — plus an obligatory food pic, of course.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligatory
Adjective
-
This even prohibits complimenting the food, which is practically considered mandatory these days.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Alvarez had held the undisputed super middleweight crown, but the IBF stripped Alvarez of its belt in July 2024 after Alvarez failed to make a mandatory title defense against Scull.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Jack would begin a compulsory ninety-day psychiatric evaluation in the California Institution for Men in Chino, a rough place known to be brutal to younger inmates for the same possession charges.—
Susannah Cahalan,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Now, Weight Watchers isn’t exactly facing bankruptcy because people everywhere are suddenly looking inward and agreeing to throw off the shackles of compulsory thinness.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
White children also had fewer days from termination of parental rights to adoption finalization, a required step in the adoption process, with an average time of 273.5 days.—
Cheyanne M. Daniels,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The Heat assert Pena hasn’t used the marks at issue in commerce, a required step under trademark law.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But people here are tired of seeing Farmington in the headlines as a town that's losing population.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
-
And there’s kids who are tired, or crying or can’t handle it.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Democrats have made some inroads in North Carolina, with past Gov. Roy Cooper reportedly weighing a Senate challenge against vulnerable incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Ella McCay follow an idealistic young politician (Mackey) who juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, the fires in New Jersey this week have been part of trend: So far in 2025, New Jersey has experienced nearly twice as many wildfires as usual.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Rosemary Oil Shampoo Add a few drops of rosemary oil to your shampoo and wash your hair as usual.—
Carley Millhone,
Health,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
During a 2020 heat wave, California’s grid operator was forced to institute rotating outages, a necessary step to protect the grid in California and neighboring states.—
Michael Wara,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Some are skeptical given his slight wingspan and arm length and wonder if a move to left guard may eventually be necessary.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligatory. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share