1
Core quality
Required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
Example
Safety training is mandatory for all laboratory staff.
mandatory
/ˈmændətəri/ · MAN-duh-tor-eeadjective
Required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
Use mandatory to express this relationship precisely: required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
What mandatory Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
The once-voluntary disclosure became mandatory under the new law.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Attendance is strongly encouraged but not mandatory.
Use mandatory Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Safety training is mandatory for all laboratory staff.
The once-voluntary disclosure became mandatory under the new law.
Attendance is strongly encouraged but not mandatory.
Precision Matters
Mandatory overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
mandatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
imperative
Means vitally important, urgent, or necessary.
mandatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
prescribe
Means set down, order, or require a rule, procedure, treatment, or course of action.
mandatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
subject to
Means dependent on a condition, governed by a rule, or vulnerable to an influence or change.
mandatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
provided that
Means state a condition that must be satisfied for the main claim or action to apply.
Test mandatory in Context
The procedure is required rather than optional.
1
Because the procedure is ___, every applicant must complete it before registration.