Obligatory Definition
ə-blĭgə-tôrē, ŏblĭ-gə-
adjective
Legally, morally, or socially binding; constituting, or having the nature of, an obligation; required.
Webster's New World
Required as part of a routine course of action or cultural expectation; predictable.
American Heritage
Webster's New World
Obligate.
American Heritage Medicine
The definition of obligatory is necessary, required or expected as a result of law or social custom.
When someone waves at you and you feel like you have to wave back because social system says you do in order to be polite, the return wave is an example of an obligatory wave.
When the law requires you to stop at a red light, this is an example of a time when stopping is obligatory.
YourDictionary
Synonyms:
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Origin of Obligatory
-
From Latin obligare obligate, from ob- to + ligare to bind, from Proto-Indo-European *leig- to bind.
From Wiktionary
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