1
as in mandatory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
in this state, school attendance is obligatory until the age of 16
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2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
the obligatory cliff-hanger endings for season finales of TV shows
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Recent Examples of obligatory
Beyond the obligatory appearances at awards ceremonies, he was rarely seen on the social circuit and made no secret of his disdain for the business side of show business.
—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
As the birthplace of shio (salt) ramen, a bowl here is obligatory.
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
When it’s done poorly, onboarding comes across as an obligatory chore, a series of bureaucratic hoops to jump through.
—Alain Hunkins, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
And, outside of the duo’s mother-daughter moments, the chef also shared a picture of her cat and a photo of herself dessert-shopping — plus an obligatory food pic, of course.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
As the birthplace of shio (salt) ramen, a bowl here is obligatory.
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
When it’s done poorly, onboarding comes across as an obligatory chore, a series of bureaucratic hoops to jump through.
—Alain Hunkins, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
And, outside of the duo’s mother-daughter moments, the chef also shared a picture of her cat and a photo of herself dessert-shopping — plus an obligatory food pic, of course.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligatory
Adjective
-
The mandatory minimum sentence for the three men, if convicted, is life in prison.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Accurate and timely filing with the IRS remains mandatory.—
Tim Pratte,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As previously reported, the new Main Stand, which eventually opened in 2016, involved compulsory purchase orders, approved by Liverpool City Council, which forced local residents to give up their homes.—
Tom Burrows,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The district representatives grow increasingly dubious about everyone’s strange attitudes, eventually shaking Ava as their compulsory chaperone while the staff runs out of places to stash the larger items.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
At the time, Latinos were often cast in stereotyped roles with heavy accents and largely denied the opportunity to direct features.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Tragedies can be examined by those outside of its sphere of destruction, but the groundswell of feeling from Mexican viewers and critics is that there was little or no care taken to understand the cultural grief beyond stereotyped spectacle.—
Lucy Ford,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Most retirees must start taking required minimum distributions by age 73.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
20 Mar. 2025
-
No required minimum distributions Unlike traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and all other types of retirement accounts, there are no required minimum distributions (RMDs) on Roth accounts.—
Kristin McKenna,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The gel coating around the pads provides a nonabrasive experience that helps lift up tired skin.—
Rosa Jisoo Pyo,
Vogue,
1 Apr. 2025
-
In their best offensive performance of the season against an admittedly tired and overmatched opponent, the Warriors had season highs in points and assists (42) and committed only 13 turnovers.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Listen to this article In the Aurora mayoral race, incumbent Richard Irvin and challenger John Laesch have both received notable endorsements ahead of the April 1 consolidated election.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
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Democratic primary challenges of incumbent governors are not unheard of in Massachusetts.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Several key figures - see Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Kyle Walker - are now into the twilights of their respective careers and so Guardiola’s team have been unable to play its usual style of high-energy, high-intensity soccer.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Complete these steps to grab a bonus for college basketball or make a larger bet than usual with a safety net.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is urging Republicans to defeat the resolution, arguing the tariffs are necessary to stop the flow of fentanyl coming into the country across the northern border.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
1 Apr. 2025
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However, this is based on an animal study of female rats, so trials in humans are necessary to know for sure.6 3.—
Megan Nunn,
Verywell Health,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligatory. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
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