optional

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Etymology

From option + -al.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈɒp.ʃə.nəl/
• (America) IPA: /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/

Adjective

optional (not comparable)

1. Not compulsory; left to personal choice; elective.

   Synonyms: facultative, Thesaurus:optional

   Antonyms: compulsory, mandatory, obligatory, Thesaurus:compulsory

   On that beach clothing is entirely optional.

Antonyms

• non-optional, nonoptional

Related terms

• option
• optionality
• optionally

Translations

• French: optionnel, facultatif
• German: freiwillig, optional, wahlfrei, fakultativ, freigestellt, wahlweise, nicht zwingend vorgeschrieben, nicht zwingend erforderlich
• Italian: facoltativo, volontario, opzionale, a discrezione, non obbligatorio
• Portuguese: opcional, facultativo
• Russian: необяза́тельный
• Spanish: opcional

Noun

optional (plural optionals)

1. Something that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.
2. (programming, sometimes, capitalized) In various programming languages, a kind of variable that is assigned a specific data type but may or may not hold an actual value.

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