adj ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or otherwise; binding; mandatory.

   "an obligatory promise"

2. 2
   Requiring a matter or obligation.

Adjective

1. 1
   morally or legally constraining or binding wordnet
2. 2
   required by obligation or compulsion or convention wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

compulsoryde rigueurimposedindispensablemandatorynecessary

Antonyms

All antonyms

facultativeelectiveomissibleoptional

Example

More examples

"If school wasn't obligatory, I would stop going there."

Etymology

From Middle English obligatorie, from Latin obligatōrius.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.