obligatory
adjective
oblig·a·to·ry ə-ˈbli-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 
ä-,
ˈä-bli-gə- 1
: binding in law or conscience
The ordinance made it obligatory that homeowners clear the snow from the sidewalks.
2
: relating to or enforcing an obligation
a writ obligatory
3
: mandatory, required
obligatory military service
also : so commonplace as to be a convention, fashion, or cliché
the obligatory death scene in opera
The thriller included the obligatory chase scene.
4
: obligate sense 1
an obligatory biped
obligatorily
ə-ˌbli-gə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē
adverb ä-
ˌä-bli-gə- 
Synonyms
- compulsory
- forced
- imperative
- incumbent
- involuntary
- mandatory
- necessary
- nonelective
- peremptory
- required
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The training is obligatory for all personnel. This action movie includes the obligatory chase scenes.
Recent Examples on the Web These obsessions over the years have allowed many of us to miss the obligatory events, a wedding, or funeral for a distant relative or not-so-close acquaintance, a dance recital, or a homecoming game. 
Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2022 Her hair was pulled back in an effortless ponytail and the actor topped the look off with a pair of black booties and obligatory black sunglasses. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2022 There were cheering mothers and beaming fathers, sweaty marching bands wearing uniforms designed for cold weather that might never come, and obligatory Frito pies. Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Aug. 2022 The obligatory list of top-shelf components from Öhlins and Brembo rounds out a mechanical package that ought to make the Kimera a fearsome driver in a similar vein to the uncorked rally racers from which it was inspired. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2022 Located on the Northwest Side of Chicago where Albany Park and Irving Park meet, the Kedzie Inn looks like any neighborhood bar with its worn hardwood floors, mini pool table, collection of vintage beer signs and obligatory flatscreens. Lisa Shames, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2022 First, the obligatory disclaimer for those among us who have yet to master the obvious: Mac Jones is not Tom Brady. Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Instead, the show bogs down in the it's-not-easy-being-green comedy and emphasis on quirkiness, feeling episodic in the extreme, after the obligatory origin story is out of the way. Brian Lowry, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 Ensure that all hiring professionals receive anti-racist training as an obligatory part of their role. Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 See More
Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2022 Her hair was pulled back in an effortless ponytail and the actor topped the look off with a pair of black booties and obligatory black sunglasses. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2022 There were cheering mothers and beaming fathers, sweaty marching bands wearing uniforms designed for cold weather that might never come, and obligatory Frito pies. Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Aug. 2022 The obligatory list of top-shelf components from Öhlins and Brembo rounds out a mechanical package that ought to make the Kimera a fearsome driver in a similar vein to the uncorked rally racers from which it was inspired. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2022 Located on the Northwest Side of Chicago where Albany Park and Irving Park meet, the Kedzie Inn looks like any neighborhood bar with its worn hardwood floors, mini pool table, collection of vintage beer signs and obligatory flatscreens. Lisa Shames, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2022 First, the obligatory disclaimer for those among us who have yet to master the obvious: Mac Jones is not Tom Brady. Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Instead, the show bogs down in the it's-not-easy-being-green comedy and emphasis on quirkiness, feeling episodic in the extreme, after the obligatory origin story is out of the way. Brian Lowry, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 Ensure that all hiring professionals receive anti-racist training as an obligatory part of their role. Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English obligatorie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French obligatorie, obligatoire, borrowed from Latin obligātōrius, from obligāre "to tie up, restrain by tying, place under a legal or moral constraint" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix, originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor — more at oblige
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
obligatory
adjective
oblig·a·to·ry
ə-ˈblig-ə-ˌtōr-ē, ä-, -ˌtȯr- also ˈäb-li-gə-
: obligate sense 1
obligatory
adjective
1
as in mandatory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law in this state, school attendance is obligatory until the age of 16 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- mandatory
- compulsory
- required
- incumbent
- necessary
- urgent
- requisite
- needed
- imperative
- forced
- involuntary
- indispensable
- nonelective
- peremptory
- essential
- insistent
- all-important
- demanded
- enforced
- persistent
- pressing
- coercive
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- optional
- voluntary
- elective
- unnecessary
- discretionary
- unwanted
- unimportant
- chosen
- dispensable
- insignificant
- inconsequential
- unneeded
- nonessential
2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull the obligatory cliff-hanger endings for season finales of TV shows Synonyms & Similar Words
- cliche
- stereotyped
- tired
- usual
- commonplace
- cliché
- typical
- hackneyed
- clichéd
- banal
- boring
- standard
- tiring
- old
- conventional
- threadbare
- trite
- cardboard
- stale
- hack
- timeworn
- cobwebby
- hackney
- shopworn
- well-worn
- platitudinous
- derivative
- ordinary
- normal
- heavy
- musty
- tiresome
- routine
- dull
- tedious
- dusty
- bromidic
- prosaic
- moth-eaten
- platitudinal
- pedestrian
- rote
- ready-made
- monotonous
- pedantic
- uninspired
- wearisome
- unimaginative
- imitative
- uninteresting
- vapid
- stock
- tame
- wearying
- humdrum
- dreary
- mind-numbing
- drab
- old hat
- canned
- dry
- leaden
- jejune
- drudging
- stodgy
- weary
- numbing
- ho-hum
- cookie-cutter
- ponderous
- arid
- barren
- unoriginal
- colorless
- stuffy
- flat
- undramatic
- twice-told
- tried-and-true
- old-fashioned
- jading
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- new
- original
- involving
- interesting
- novel
- fresh
- exciting
- unhackneyed
- unclichéd
- riveting
- stimulating
- intriguing
- enlivening
- atypical
- engaging
- energizing
- unusual
- uncommon
- galvanizing
- strange
- engrossing
- absorbing
- animating
- unprecedented
- extraordinary
- unfamiliar
- gripping
- invigorating
- unaccustomed
- unknown
- pioneering
- unheard-of
- pathbreaking
- trailblazing