Word
mandatory
Meanings
Required by law, rules, or authority; not optional.
Having to be done as a necessary part of a process or requirement.
Definition
Required by a rule, law, or official instruction; not optional.
If something is mandatory, you must do it because it is required by an authority such as a law, school, or workplace policy. It means there is no choice about whether to comply. People often use it for training, meetings, forms, or safety procedures.
Examples
- Our department made the new cybersecurity training mandatory for every employee, regardless of seniority.
- Before you can start the course, a short orientation session is mandatory, so please arrive on time.
- She realized the helmet was mandatory on the construction site and went back to the locker to get one.
- They introduced mandatory ID checks at the entrance after the venue updated its safety procedures.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse "mandatory" with "voluntary" and use it for optional activities that people can choose to do.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.