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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of optional
When the entity being investigated decides what records investigators may see and when, oversight becomes optional.
—
Vaughn Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
For a battery pack going into a vehicle driven on public roads, containment wasn’t optional.
—Ryan Brennan
march 6, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
An underslung spare wheel holder and Cruisemaster DO35 articulating hitch are standard, and optional upgrades include an airbag suspension and rear recovery points.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
On Friday, Crosby joined his teammates for an optional skate session.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optional
Vaughn Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
For a battery pack going into a vehicle driven on public roads, containment wasn’t optional.
—Ryan Brennan
march 6, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
An underslung spare wheel holder and Cruisemaster DO35 articulating hitch are standard, and optional upgrades include an airbag suspension and rear recovery points.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
On Friday, Crosby joined his teammates for an optional skate session.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optional
Adjective
-
Some local industry professionals have suggested to Deadline that the issue of the recommendations could still prove thorny down the line, even if Tuttle’s uptake of them would be voluntary.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The voluntary agreement has no enforcement mechanisms and ratepayers have no way to verify whether tech companies keep their promises, said Lena Moffitt, executive director of Evergreen Action, an environmental group.—
Josh Boak,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Shall the qualifying period for Village elective offices be in November?—
South Florida Sun Sentinel,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Clinics and hospitals remained open during the strike, with some in-person appointments shifted to virtual, and some elective surgeries and procedures rescheduled.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The district also is looking at ways to reduce discretionary spending and eliminate redundancy, such as consolidating software platforms, reducing travel expenses, cutting department and building spending and bringing some services in-house.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
According to the union, Providence has proposed increasing nurses’ health care costs, ending a discretionary retirement contribution and eliminating a health incentive program, while also seeking changes to an attendance policy.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Optional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optional. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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