1
Core quality
Required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
Example
Safety training is obligatory for all laboratory staff.
obligatory
/əˈblɪɡətəri/ · uh-BLIG-uh-tor-eeadjective
Required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
Use obligatory to express this relationship precisely: required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
What obligatory 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 final bow felt obligatory rather than spontaneous.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Disclosure became obligatory under the revised law.
Use obligatory Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Safety training is obligatory for all laboratory staff.
The final bow felt obligatory rather than spontaneous.
Disclosure became obligatory under the revised law.
Precision Matters
Obligatory overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
obligatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
provisional
Means temporary, conditional, or subject to later confirmation, revision, or replacement.
obligatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
contingent on
Means dependent on a particular condition, event, or requirement being satisfied.
obligatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
nominal
Means existing in name or official title only rather than in reality; also, very small or token in amount.
obligatory
vs.Means required by a rule, law, duty, custom, or accepted convention.
mandatory
Means required by a rule, law, or authority; not optional.
Test obligatory in Context
The course is required by a governing rule.
1
For researchers handling human data, completion of the ethics course is ___.