obligatory
adjective
oblig·a·to·ry
ə-ˈbli-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 
ä-,
ˈä-bli-gə-
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
4
: obligate sense 1
an obligatory biped
Synonyms
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
For many straight men, their maiden journey to a strip club is an obligatory rite of passage, but for Baker, the incident was more fraught.
—
Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Dealers reinforce the advantage of leasing an EV by giving buyers their applicable tax credits at the point of sale, often bundling them to lower the obligatory drive-off costs.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Achint Thakkar’s soundtrack scratches the itch of mainstream Hindi music (including the obligatory Arijit Singh vocal) as well as the emotional needs of the movie, with Raina lending his voice to two tracks.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2024
Though expanded in scope and scale, Fatigue maintains the Brooklyn musician’s skepticism toward the song form as an obligatory base unit of musical communication.
—Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for obligatory 
Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Dealers reinforce the advantage of leasing an EV by giving buyers their applicable tax credits at the point of sale, often bundling them to lower the obligatory drive-off costs.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Achint Thakkar’s soundtrack scratches the itch of mainstream Hindi music (including the obligatory Arijit Singh vocal) as well as the emotional needs of the movie, with Raina lending his voice to two tracks.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2024
Though expanded in scope and scale, Fatigue maintains the Brooklyn musician’s skepticism toward the song form as an obligatory base unit of musical communication.
—Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for obligatory
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obligatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near obligatory
Cite this Entry
“Obligatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obligatory. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obligatory
adjective
oblig·a·to·ry
ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-,
also ˈäb-li-gə-
: not to be left out, forgotten, or ignored : being required
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