facultative C2+ Topic:Describing People US /ˈfækəlˌteɪtɪv/ UK /ˈfækəltətɪv/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj optional rather than obligatory; capable of but not bound to occur Many bacteria are facultative, surviving with or without oxygen. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · optional rather than... optionaldiscretionaryvoluntarycontingentpermissive ↔ Opposites obligatorycompulsorymandatoryobligate Word family Derived forms facultatively Related forms facultyfacility Common collocations facultative parasite Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From French facultatif, from Latin facultas ('capability, faculty'), from facilis ('easy'), from facere ('to do, make'). facultas Latin facere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # facultative **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈfækəlˌteɪtɪv/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈfækəltətɪv/ ## Meanings 1. optional rather than obligatory; capable of but not bound to occur ## Examples - Many bacteria are facultative, surviving with or without oxygen. ## Synonyms - optional - discretionary - voluntary - contingent - permissive ## Antonyms - obligatory - compulsory - mandatory - obligate ## Derived Forms - facultatively ## Related Forms - faculty - facility ## Roots and Affixes - Root: facultas - Root: facere ## Etymology From French facultatif, from Latin facultas ('capability, faculty'), from facilis ('easy'), from facere ('to do, make'). ## AI Etymology Facultative is from French facultatif, from Latin facultas ('capability, faculty'), from facilis ('easy'), from facere ('to do, make'). Important recorded forms include facultas (Latin) and facere (Latin). The current sense covers optional rather than obligatory; capable of but not bound to occur. The wider family includes derived forms such as facultatively and related words such as faculty and facility. ## Topics - Describing People - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown