Synonyms of compulsory

compulsory

adjective

kəm-ˈpəls-rē 

as in mandatory

forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law

compulsory retirement at age 70

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mandatory
• required
• incumbent
• necessary
• obligatory
• urgent
• needed
• imperative
• involuntary
• forced
• requisite
• essential
• nonelective
• peremptory
• indispensable
• enforced
• all-important
• insistent
• demanded
• persistent
• pressing
• coercive

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• voluntary
• optional
• elective
• discretionary
• unnecessary
• unwanted
• chosen
• unimportant
• insignificant
• unneeded
• dispensable
• inconsequential
• nonessential

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of compulsory

The automaker had agreed a deal with unions in late 2024 to avoid factory closures in Germany and rule out compulsory redundancies until the end of 2030. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 24 July 2026

The film is a reminder that conformity is never compulsory, and that putting yourself out there is the only way to find out who’s ready to catch you. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

In our analysis, the gap between women and men may persist unless masculinity itself becomes less dependent on dominance, control and compulsory heterosexuality. — Ann M. Merriwether, The Conversation, 7 July 2026

Too silly for any real person to say, this kind of sentence is practically compulsory in a certain aspirational strain of women’s entertainment. — Judy Berman, Time, 6 July 2026