as in mandatory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
compulsory retirement at age 70
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Recent Examples of compulsory
Loadholt responded that North Carolina’s age threshold for compulsory school attendance is 7 — an answer Cunningham pushed back on.
—
Mary Ramsey
updated June 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Attendance to the march wasn’t compulsory for Kings players.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
Maybe the typical wedding remains an exercise in female subjugation and compulsory heterosexuality, but straight women aren’t the only characters suffering at the altar.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsory
Mary Ramsey
updated June 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Attendance to the march wasn’t compulsory for Kings players.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
Maybe the typical wedding remains an exercise in female subjugation and compulsory heterosexuality, but straight women aren’t the only characters suffering at the altar.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsory
Adjective
-
Now, the one-year grace period for the act’s mandatory registration requirements has ended, meaning agencies must be registered as model management companies or groups with the New York Department of Labor (NYDL) to better enable models to discern legitimate representation.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
19 June 2026
-
Seattle's offseason program is over following the conclusion of mandatory minicamp on June 11.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
The required transition occurs at a wavelength of roughly 148 nanometers, deep in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
-
Ohtani could not push his left knee, which kept him out of Friday’s game and required imaging.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The list includes seven incumbent Democrats and four incumbent Republicans.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
-
Park faced Faizah Malik, a public interest attorney endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — a group that has successfully organized to oust incumbent council members in recent years.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
County officials have said additional budget cuts will likely be necessary in the coming years.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
-
Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.—
Emily Hoerner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compulsory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsory. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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