obligatory

adjective

ə-ˈbli-gə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce obligatory (audio)
Definition of obligatorynext
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 stereotyped
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 In that light, so what if the flirtation between Ian and Sally feels reverse-engineered from a checklist of obligatory Practical Magic plot elements? — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 But her subsequent campaigning has not been notable and has been largely limited to obligatory Democratic events and Pritzker bill signings. — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026 The obligatory weekly hour-long class was introduced in September 2022 to promote the Kremlin’s views on patriotism and Russian history including the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 While several countries have tried opt-out systems, France is hoping more muscular obligatory opt-in rules will be more effective. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligatory
  1. mandatory
  2. stereotyped
  3. compulsory
  4. tired
  5. required
  6. usual
  7. incumbent
  8. commonplace
Adjective
  • In Southern California, the city of Long Beach has issued a mandatory evacuation order for some homes through Tuesday.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Long Beach issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents of Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th Place.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of mandatory
Adjective
  • Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
  • This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Definition of stereotyped
Adjective
  • Although the regime has retreated from enforcing compulsory veiling, the opposition movement has continued to radicalize.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Reczek and Bosley-Smith read the return partly as evidence of compulsory kinship’s durability, and the evidence supports them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of compulsory
Adjective
  • Getting camera-ready Crawford never tired of redecorating her house throughout her 26 years there and had a long collaborative relationship with decorator William Haines.
    — Megan Johnson, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026
  • As such, the group designed this high-tech salve to revive tired skin on a cellular level, but also with a little mood boost.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • An agent that gathers records or checks for required information may operate with limited intervention.
    — Heather Bassett, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Balderaz was also stabbed in the arm during a struggle and required stitches at the hospital, officials said.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of required
Adjective
  • The Sagittarius Moon opposes Uranus, making a public responsibility, schedule, or household plan less predictable than usual.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This is Kerry’s usual spiel at the beginning of a season; historically, the bravado lets up over time.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of usual
Adjective
  • That follows two $500,000 ad buys from the business group, which has historically aligned with Republicans, praising incumbent Sens.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Rogers is a former congressman who ran in the 2024 race for the same seat but lost to the incumbent Democrat Elissa Slotkin.
    — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of incumbent
Adjective
  • However, cinematographers always need time and encouragement to get inventive with commonplace tools, especially in the documentary world where Hutchens does so much work.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In 20 years’ time, one of the extravagances in these pages may be as commonplace as the smartphone is now.
    — John Vorwald, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of commonplace

Browse Nearby Words

obligations
obligatory
oblige
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligatory. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All