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obligatory definition

ob·liga·tory (ə blig′ə tôr′ē, äb′lə gə-)

adjective

  1. legally or morally binding; constituting, or having the nature of, an obligation; required
  2. Biol. obligate

Etymology: LL obligatorius

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

obligatory Synonyms

obligatory

modif.

required, essential, binding; see necessary 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

obligatory Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: The city government has banned private wells and made rainwater harvesting obligatory, but does not dare to enforce the law.

Modifies a noun

  • prayer: The long obligatory prayer - don't miss out on a precious bounty!

Modifying Another Word

  • morally: Conclusion At times Ross suggests that acts that are prima facie obligatory tend to be morally obligatory.

Infinitive complement

  • use: Signing page 20 of the CEDP: It is not obligatory to use this form.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Cocktails seemed almost obligatory as we mingled with members and guests dancing to the funky music provided by the resident DJ.

Preposition: for

  • person: These principles express the characteristics that can make an act prima facie obligatory for a person.
obligatory usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"obligatory." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/obligatory>

APA Style

obligatory. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/obligatory

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