Optional

//ˈɒp.ʃə.nəl// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.
  2. 2
    In various programming languages, a kind of variable that is assigned a specific data type but may or may not hold an actual value. capitalized, sometimes

    "In functional languages, there is a data type called the option type, also called the maybe type. Its purpose is to encapsulate a value, which is returned from a function. […] In Java 8, the Optional class has been added to serve as an option type."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Not compulsory; left to personal choice; elective. not-comparable

    "On that beach clothing is entirely optional."

Adjective
  1. 1
    possible but not necessary; left to personal choice wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
discretionaryelectivevoluntaryfacultativefacultativealternative

Example

More examples

"An air conditioner is available as an optional extra."

Etymology

From option + -al.

Related phrases

clothing optionaldata typeprogramming language

More for "optional"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Related Topic Clusters

Product and UX Writing Vocabulary

Interface and product-copy language for onboarding, errors, and feature guidance.

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

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