compulsory
/kəm'pʌlsəri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- required by rule
- in most schools physical education is compulsory
- attendance is mandatory
- required reading