Borrowed from Late Latin compulsorius, from Latin compulsus.

• enPR: kəm-pŭl'sə-rē IPA: /kəmˈpʌlsəɹi/

compulsory

1. Required; obligatory; mandatory.

   The ten-dollar fee was compulsory.

   • 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.

2. Having the power of compulsion; constraining.

   Such compulsory measures are limited.

• mandatory

• (antonym(s) of “required”): optional
• (antonym(s) of “having the power of compulsion”): voluntary

• French: obligatoire
• German: obligatorisch, pflichtmäßig, gesetzlich, verpflichtend
• Italian: obbligatorio, coatto
• Portuguese: obrigatório
• Russian: обяза́тельный
• Spanish: obligatorio

• German: zwangsweise, verpflichtend
• Italian: obbligatorio, coatto
• Portuguese: compulsório
• Russian: принуди́тельный

compulsory (plural compulsories)

1. Something that is compulsory or required.