obligatory C2+ Topic:Law & Government US /əˈblɪɡəˌtɔri/ UK /əˈblɪɡətri/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj required by a rule, law, or custom; compulsory Attendance at the safety briefing is obligatory for all staff. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · required by a rule, law, or... compulsorymandatoryrequiredbindingimperativerequisite ↔ Opposites optionalvoluntarydiscretionaryelective Word family Derived forms obligatorilyobligatoriness Related forms obligeobligateobligationligature Common collocations obligatory contribution Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Late Latin obligatorius ('binding'), from Latin obligare ('to bind to'), from ob- ('to') plus ligare ('to bind'). obligatorius Late Latin ligare Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # obligatory **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /əˈblɪɡəˌtɔri/ **IPA (UK):** /əˈblɪɡətri/ ## Meanings 1. required by a rule, law, or custom; compulsory ## Examples - Attendance at the safety briefing is obligatory for all staff. ## Synonyms - compulsory - mandatory - required - binding - imperative - requisite ## Antonyms - optional - voluntary - discretionary - elective ## Derived Forms - obligatorily - obligatoriness ## Related Forms - oblige - obligate - obligation - ligature ## Roots and Affixes - Root: obligatorius - Root: ligare ## Etymology From Late Latin obligatorius ('binding'), from Latin obligare ('to bind to'), from ob- ('to') plus ligare ('to bind'). ## AI Etymology Obligatory is from Late Latin obligatorius ('binding'), from Latin obligare ('to bind to'), from ob- ('to') plus ligare ('to bind'). Important recorded forms include obligatorius (Late Latin) and ligare (Latin). The current sense covers required by a rule, law, or custom; compulsory. The wider family includes derived forms such as obligatorily and obligatoriness and related words such as oblige, obligate, obligation, and ligature. ## Topics - Law & Government - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown