Mandatory

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈmæn.dÉ™.t(É™)ɹi/
• US IPA: /ˈmæn.dəˌtÉ”.ɹi/

Origin

From Late Latin mandatorius ("of or belonging to a mandator"), from mandator ("one who commands"); see mandate.

Full definition of mandatory

Adjective

1. Obligatory; required or commanded by authority.Attendance at a school is usually mandatory.
• 1999, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Figments of Reality: The Evolution of the Curious Mind, page 276This kind of immediate control structure we take to be characteristic of the tribe, and it leads to a rather rigid type of system in which 'every action not mandatory is forbidden'.
2. Of, being or relating to a mandate.Mandatory Palestine

Synonyms

• compulsory
• obligatory

Antonyms

• (obligatory) optional
• (obligatory) elective

Derived terms

• mandatoriness

Noun

1. (dated, rare) A person, organisation or state who receives a mandate; a mandatary.

Anagrams

• damnatory