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mandatory

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Obligatory; required or commanded by authority.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

manduhtawree

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈmændətɔɹi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Obligatory; required or commanded by authority.

  2. Of, being or relating to a mandate.

noun

  1. disc golf

    A sign or line that require the path of the disc to be above, below or to one side of it.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Obligatory; required or commanded by authority.

Used this way, mandatory is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use mandatory

  • “Wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle is mandatory for children.”

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.