obligatory

adjective

oblig·​a·​to·​ry ə-ˈbli-gə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce obligatory (audio)
ä-,
ˈä-bli-gə- How to pronounce obligatory (audio)
1
: binding in law or conscience
The ordinance made it obligatory that homeowners clear the snow from the sidewalks.
2
: relating to or enforcing an obligation
a writ obligatory
3
: mandatory, required
obligatory military service
also : so commonplace as to be a convention, fashion, or cliché
the obligatory death scene in opera
The thriller included the obligatory chase scene.
4
: obligate sense 1
an obligatory biped

Examples of obligatory in a Sentence

The training is obligatory for all personnel. This action movie includes the obligatory chase scenes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even in their lifetime, the brothers were subjected to the obligatory punning. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 Case in point: the jokes that Tomlinson reads to tee up each segment, which tend to feel obligatory. Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024 None of the story and character beats have enough space to breathe, making Ronnie’s death and its aftermath feel obligatory, rather than properly dramatic. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024 The format is a good one for a medical comedy, allowing for brief beats of handheld intensity when patients arrive in emergency situations and facilitating an instant connection between the characters and the camera during the obligatory confessional interviews. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for obligatory 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English obligatorie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French obligatorie, obligatoire, borrowed from Latin obligātōrius, from obligāre "to tie up, restrain by tying, place under a legal or moral constraint" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix, originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor — more at oblige

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of obligatory was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near obligatory

Cite this Entry

“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obligatory. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

obligatory

adjective
oblig·​a·​to·​ry ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce obligatory (audio)
-ˌtȯr-,
 also  ˈäb-li-gə-
: not to be left out, forgotten, or ignored : being required

Medical Definition

obligatory

adjective
oblig·​a·​to·​ry
ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē, ä-, -ˌtȯr- also ˈäb-li-gə-
obligatorily
ə-ˌblig-ə-ˈtōr-ə-lē, ä-, -ˈtȯr- also ˌäb-li-gə-
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on obligatory

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