compulsory
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describes something you must do because it is a law or a rule.
adj.required by law or a firm rule; obligatory. Often used in contexts of education, military service, or safety regulations.
Simple“In many countries, it is compulsory to wear a seatbelt while driving.”
In context“The government introduced compulsory primary education in the late nineteenth century to ensure a basic level of literacy across the population.”
UsageCommonly followed by 'for' to indicate who must comply, or 'to' followed by an infinitive verb.
PitfallThe meeting is compulsory for all of us. Attendance at the meeting is compulsory.While you can say a task is compulsory, it is more common and natural to say that 'attendance' or 'participation' is compulsory rather than the people themselves.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a specific move or exercise that every person in a competition must perform.
n.a required move, routine, or exercise in a competition, particularly in sports like figure skating or gymnastics.
Simple“The skater performed the compulsories perfectly but struggled during the creative part of the program.”
In context“Although she excelled in the freestyle segment, her lower scores in the technical compulsories kept her off the podium.”
UsageUsually used in the plural form 'compulsories' when referring to the set of required exercises.
SynonymsAntonyms
“He said: "As families prepare for the new school year, limiting the number of compulsory branded items should make a real difference.”
“Angela Rayner, the then shadow education secretary, said in 2018 that a Labour government would scrap compulsory resits.”
Borrowed from Late Latin compulsorius, from Latin compulsus. Displaced native Old English ġenīedelīċ.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.