as in voluntary
subject to one's freedom of choice
at the resort all recreational activities are optional, and you may choose to participate in none of them
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Recent Examples of optional
As reviewed, with optional equipment and destination tax the tally was pushed to $64,485.
—
James Raia, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Dynamic, but Highly Regulated For financial services, agentic adoption is not optional.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026
Then there are optional claiming races, which mix allowance conditions with the option to run a horse for a claiming price.
—Neil Greenberg, New York Times, 1 May 2026
For most of San Diego FC’s young life, the hard part felt optional.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for optional
James Raia, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Dynamic, but Highly Regulated For financial services, agentic adoption is not optional.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026
Then there are optional claiming races, which mix allowance conditions with the option to run a horse for a claiming price.
—Neil Greenberg, New York Times, 1 May 2026
For most of San Diego FC’s young life, the hard part felt optional.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for optional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optional
Adjective
-
The Browns held a three-day voluntary minicamp shortly before the 2026 NFL Draft.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
-
Some are legally binding (California, New York, China, the EU); others issue voluntary guidance (NIST, Singapore).—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
The minor procedure, which is elective, is not expected to significantly impact Herro’s offseason work.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But that has not been a barrier for Latinos seeking elective office or high-level roles in government.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It cannot be used for discretionary spending.—
Barbara Sprunt,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That would be a meaningful shift from the stagflation fears that have pressured discretionary spending over the past several weeks.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Optional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optional. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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