mandatory

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mandatory

/ˈmæn.də.t(ə)ɹi/ UK
/mænˈdeɪ.tə.ɹi/ UK, uncommon
/ˈmæn.dəˌtɔɹ.i/ US
/ˈmɛən.dəˌtɔɹ.i/

Where it comes from

From Late Latin mandatorius (“of or belonging to a mandator”), from mandātor (“one who commands”), equivalent to mandate + -ory; see mandate.

adjective more mandatory · most mandatory

obligatory; required or commanded by authority. Attendance at a school is usually mandatory for children.
Similar: compulsory, obligatory, binding, compulsatory, decretory, forced, imperative, involuntary, mandatory, nonoptional, required, unbewised · Opposite: optional, elective, discretionary, facultative, free, noncompulsory, nonmandatory, nonobligate, nonobligatory, nonrequired, nonrequisite, optionary
Of, being or relating to a mandate. Mandatory Palestine

noun mandatories

A sign or line that require the path of the disc to be above, below or to one side of it.
Similar: mando
dated, rare A person, organisation or state who receives a mandate; a mandatary.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: obligatory, compulsory, required, mandatary, mandated, obliged, obligate, obligation, duty, mandate, duty-bound, binding, requisite, peremptory, necessary, requirement

Translations

Every language

adj obligatory — see also obligatory, compulsory

Español	obligatorio, necesario, mandatorio
한국어	의무적인 uimujeogin
日本語	強制的な kyōseiteki-na
中文	強制 /强制 qiángzhì
हिन्दी	अनिवार्य anivārya
Português	obrigatório, mandatório
Français	obligatoire, requis
Deutsch	obligatorisch, vorgeschrieben, zwingend notwendig
Italiano	obbligatorio, richiesto, necessario
Ελληνικά	υποχρεωτικός ypochreotikós
Русский	обяза́тельный objazátelʹnyj
العربية	إِجْبَارِيّ ʔijbāriyy, مَفْرُوض mafrūḍ
עברית	הכרחי

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MLA

"mandatory." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mandatory. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mandatory. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mandatory

Chicago

"mandatory." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mandatory.

BibTeX

@misc{mandatory_2026,
  title = {mandatory},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mandatory},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}