Definition

Adjective: 1. Required by law or a rule; obligatory: Something that is compulsory must be done because it is required by an authority, such as a law, regulation, or official rule. It is not optional or voluntary. 2. Involving or exercising compulsion; coercive: This sense relates to the nature of forcing someone to do something.

Usage and Examples

• General Rule or Law:
  • Physical education is a compulsory subject in this school. (Students are required to take it.)
  • Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory for all passengers. (It is mandated by law.)
• Formal or Official Requirement:
  • The company announced compulsory training for all staff. (The training is obligatory for everyone.)
  • Attendance at the safety briefing is compulsory. (Presence is mandatory.)

Advanced Usage

• "Compulsory purchase" (UK) / "Eminent domain" (US): The power of a government to take private property for public use, with payment of compensation. The act is obligatory for the owner.
  • The council issued a compulsory purchase order for the land needed for the new road.
• "Compulsory liquidation": A legal process where a company is forced into liquidation, usually by a court order, often because it cannot pay its debts.
  • The court ordered the compulsory liquidation of the insolvent firm.

Variants and Related Words

• Compel (verb): To force or oblige someone to do something.
  • The law compels drivers to have insurance.
• Compulsion (noun):
  • The action or state of being forced to do something.

    • He felt a sense of compulsion to tell the truth.
  • An irresistible urge to behave in a certain way.

    • She had a compulsion to check the door was locked repeatedly.
• Compulsorily (adverb): In a compulsory manner; by force or requirement.
  • The land was compulsorily acquired by the state.

Synonyms

• Mandatory: Required by law or command; obligatory. (e.g., )
• Obligatory: Required as a result of a rule, law, or condition. (e.g., )
• Required: Officially demanded or necessary. (e.g., )
• Imperative: Of vital importance; crucial. (This can imply a strong necessity rather than a formal rule.)

Antonyms

• Optional: Available to be chosen but not obligatory.
• Voluntary: Done, given, or acting of one's own free will.
• Discretionary: Available for use at the discretion of the user; not fixed by rules.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Compulsory education: A period of education that is required by law for all children.
  • In many countries, compulsory education begins at age five or six.
• Compulsory voting: A system where citizens are required by law to vote in elections.
  • Australia is a country with compulsory voting.

Adjective

1. required by rule
   • in most schools physical education is compulsory
   • attendance is mandatory
   • required reading