Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Obligatory for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Obligatory" — adjective, pronounced /əˈblɪɡətri/, with the stress on "blig".
Narrator: Obligatory means required by a rule, law or custom.
Narrator: In plain English, you must.
Narrator: It comes from Latin obligatorius.
Narrator: A common collocation is "obligatory field", which describes a form box you must fill.
Narrator: It differs from "optional", its opposite, meaning you can choose.
Narrator: In a second sense, obligatory can be jokey, as in "the obligatory holiday selfie".
Narrator: Law, education, forms and humour use the word.
Narrator: So remember: obligatory means required.
Speaker A: Is the helmet optional?
Speaker B: No, OBLIGATORY! From Latin obligatorius.
Speaker A: On every ride?
Speaker B: Every single one.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Uniform is obligatory", school. "Obligatory fields are marked", forms. "The obligatory beach photo", humour.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Stress "BLIG", "uh-BLIG-uh-tree".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Compulsory is its twin, mandatory its cousin, and required an alternative — yet obligatory keeps its firm charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "obligatory" in AI prompts — useful for form design and policies.
Speaker A: How for forms?
Speaker B: Accessibility.
Prompt: Mark obligatory fields with text, not just a red asterisk.
Speaker A: And policies?
Speaker B: Clarity.
Prompt: List which training is obligatory for new staff.
Speaker A: Could it help humour?
Speaker B: Yes, for posts.
Prompt: Write a caption for the obligatory team photo.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Validation.
Prompt: Show one clear error when an obligatory field is empty.
Obligatory — meaning in Arabic & definition More O courses GL Dictionary