compulsory

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin compulsorius, from Latin compulsus. Displaced native Old English ġenīedelīċ.

Pronunciation

enPR: kəm-pŭl'sə-rē IPA^(key): /kəmˈpʌlsəri/
Audio (RP) (file)

Adjective

compulsory (comparative more compulsory, superlative most compulsory)

Required; obligatory; mandatory.
The ten-dollar fee was compulsory.
- 1827, A. D. Jr., Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal, A. and C. Black, page 212:
  They are entirely private concerns, established by individual teachers, and attendance upon them is no more compulsory than attendance on our dispensaries.
- 1996, Ugo Pagano, Democracy and Efficiency in the Economic Enterprise, page 73:
  Some might agree that membership in the firm is perhaps more compulsory than membership in a municipality, but balk at applying the analogy to the nation.
- 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
  Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.
- 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
  I haven't booked, so I don't have a clue as to whether the service will be busy or not. Supposedly, reservations are compulsory, but I want to find out what would happen if you just turn up.
Having the power of compulsion; constraining.
Such compulsory measures are limited.

Synonyms

mandatory

Antonyms

(required): optional

Derived terms

compulsory education
compulsory heterosexuality
compulsory purchase
compulsory purchase order
non-compulsory

Translations

mandatory — See also translations at mandatory,‎ obligatory

Armenian: պարտադիր (hy) (partadir)
Belarusian: абавязко́вы (be) m (abavjazkóvy)
Bengali: ওয়াজিব (bn) (ẇajib), ফরজ (bn) (fôrôz)
Bulgarian: задължителен (bg) (zadǎlžitelen)
Catalan: obligatori (ca)
Czech: povinný (cs) m
Dutch: verplicht (nl)
Esperanto: deviga
Estonian: kohustuslik, sunduslik, sund-
Finnish: pakollinen (fi), pakko-
French: obligatoire (fr)
Georgian: აუცილებელი (aucilebeli), სავალდებულო (savaldebulo)
German: obligatorisch (de), pflichtmäßig (de), gesetzlich (de), verpflichtend (de)
Greek: υποχρεωτικός (el) (ypochreotikós)
Hebrew: חובה‎ (he) f (khova)
Hungarian: kötelező (hu)
Italian: obbligatorio (it), coatto (it)
Japanese: 義務的 (ja) (ぎむてき, gimuteki)
Malay: wajib (ms)
Maori: mātua tutuki
Norman: oblyigatouaithe
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bindende, forpliktende, obligatorisk
Old English: ġenīedelīċ
Polish: obowiązkowy (pl)
Portuguese: obrigatório (pt)
Russian: обяза́тельный (ru) (objazátelʹnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: do-sheachanta
Spanish: obligatorio (es)
Swedish: obligatorisk (sv)
Ukrainian: обов'язко́вий m (obovʺjazkóvyj)
Vietnamese: bắt buộc (vi)
Yiddish: אָבליגאַטאָריש‎ (obligatorish)

constraining

Armenian: հարկադրական (hy) (harkadrakan)
Bulgarian: принуди́телен (bg) (prinudítelen)
Finnish: pakottava (fi), pakko-, rajoittava (fi)
Georgian: ძალადობრივი (ʒaladobrivi)
German: zwangsweise (de), verpflichtend (de)
Greek: εξαναγκαστικός (el) (exanagkastikós)
Hungarian: kényszerítő (hu)
Italian: obbligatorio (it), coatto (it)
Japanese: 強制的 (きょうせいてき, kyōseiteki)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: forpliktende
Portuguese: compulsório (pt)
Romanian: obligator (ro) m, care se cere
Russian: принуди́тельный (ru) (prinudítelʹnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Arabic: ^{(please verify)} واجب حدوثه‎
French: ^{(please verify)} obligatoire (fr)
Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} obligatorisk

Noun

compulsory (plural compulsories)

Something that is compulsory or required.
- 2008 March 22, The Associated Press, “French Victory in Ice Dance”, in New York Times‎:
  Delobel and Schoenfelder failed to win the free dance, but they had built a big lead in the compulsories and the original dance.