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Definition of obligatory

obligatory

/əˈblɪɡ.əˌtɔːr.i/
o · blig · a · to · ry
Adverb:obligatorily
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obligatory Lexical Profile

obligatory Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Required by a legal, moral, or other rule; having the nature of a duty or formal requirement.

Example

"Completion of the introductory safety course is obligatory for all new laboratory personnel."

2

So customary or expected by social convention as to appear inevitable or cliché.

Example

"The travel blog post ended with the obligatory photograph of sunset over the ocean."

3

Restricted to a particular mode of life or environmental condition and unable to survive without it (of an organism or parasite).

Example

"Because viruses are obligatory intracellular parasites, they cannot reproduce outside a host cell."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Nearby Words

obligate
obligation
obligatorily
obligatory
oblige
obliged
obliging

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin obligatorius, from Latin obligare ('to bind around, pledge, or oblige'), formed from ob- ('to, toward') and ligare ('to bind').

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Obligatory. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/obligatory
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