Meanings
comparative more obligatory · superlative most obligatory
- Imposing obligation, legally, morally, or otherwise; binding; mandatory.
an obligatory promise
2 more examples
[…] if he speak the words of an oath in a strange language, thinking they signify something else, or if he spake in his sleep, or deliration, or distraction, it is no oath, and so not obligatory.
1673, Richard Baxter, Christian Directory[I]t was something that every schoolboy of my generation almost `had' to do, as obligatory a proof of impending manliness as scrumping apples or pulling girls' pigtails.
2000, Bill Oddie, Gripping Yarns, page 12 - Requiring a matter or obligation.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivemorally or legally constraining or binding
adjectiverequired by obligation or compulsion or convention
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁óp(i)
- Proto-Italic*op
- Latinob
- Latinob-
- Proto-Indo-European*leyǵ-
- Latinligō
- Latinobligō
- Latinobligātōrius
- Middle Englishobligatorie
- Englishobligatory
From Middle English obligatorie, from Latin obligatōrius.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans verpligte, verpligtend
- verpligtebinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- verpligtendbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Bengali ফরজ, ওয়াজিব
- ফরজ (fôroz)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- ওয়াজিব (ōẇajibo)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- বাধ্যতামূলক (baddhôtamulok)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Bulgarian задължителен
- задължителен (zadălžitelen)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Catalan obligatori
- obligatoribinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Czech povinný
- povinnýbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Dutch verplicht
- verplichtbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Esperanto deviga
- devigabinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Finnish velvoittava, sitova
- velvoittavabinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- sitovabinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- pakollinenbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
French obligatoire
- obligatoirebinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
German obligatorisch
- obligatorischbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Greek υποχρεωτικός
- υποχρεωτικός (ypochreotikós)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Hindi अनिवार्य
- अनिवार्य (anivārya)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Hungarian kötelező
- kötelezőbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Italian obbligatorio
- obbligatoriobinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Norwegian Bokmål bindende, forpliktende
- bindendebinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- forpliktendebinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- obligatoriskbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Polish wiążący, obowiązkowy
- wiążącybinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- obowiązkowybinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Portuguese obrigatório
- obrigatóriobinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Russian обяза́тельный, непреме́нный
- обяза́тельный (objazátelʹnyj)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- непреме́нный (nepreménnyj)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Slovak záväzný, povinný
- záväznýbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- povinnýbinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Spanish obligatorio, obligativo
- obligatoriobinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
- obligativobinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Turkish zorunlu
- zorunlubinding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Ukrainian обов'язко́вий
- обов'язко́вий (obovʺjazkóvyj)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Yiddish אָבליגאַטאָריש
- אָבליגאַטאָריש (obligatorish)binding — see also mandatory, compulsory
Cite this entry
obligatory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obligatory
“obligatory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obligatory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obligatory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obligatory.
Source: obligatory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.