Meaning & use
nonobligatory
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformal
Not required by a rule, law, or agreement; something you may choose to do or not do.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a nonobligatory fee; the fee is nonobligatory.
Patterns
- nonobligatory for someone
- nonobligatory to do something
Attendance at the workshop is nonobligatory, but most students come anyway.
The company offers a nonobligatory training week for new staff.
For members, paying the annual fee is nonobligatory.
adjectivenot comparableformal
Not morally or socially demanded; not something a person feels forced to do.
Grammar: Often describes actions or duties rather than objects; compare with 'compulsory', which means the opposite.
Patterns
- nonobligatory for someone
Sending a gift after the interview is polite but nonobligatory.
Their help was entirely nonobligatory, which made it more meaningful.
Common combinations
- nonobligatory payment
- The deposit is a nonobligatory payment you can skip if you prefer.
- nonobligatory attendance
- Nonobligatory attendance at the seminar still drew a large crowd.
- entirely nonobligatory
- The extra reading is entirely nonobligatory.
- remain nonobligatory
- Under the new rules, overtime will remain nonobligatory.
- nonobligatory for members
- The health check is nonobligatory for members over sixty.
Synonyms and how they differ
- optional
- Optional is the everyday word and is far more common; use it in speech, and keep nonobligatory for formal or legal writing.
- voluntary
- Voluntary stresses that someone chooses freely, often with a good purpose, while nonobligatory simply means no rule forces it.
- discretionary
- Discretionary is used mainly for powers or spending that an official may decide on, so it fits formal contexts better than nonobligatory.
Opposites
Word family
- obligatory adjective
- Required by a rule or law; the direct opposite.
- obligation noun
- A duty that you must carry out.
- oblige verb
- To force someone to do something, or to do someone a favor.
- nonobligatorily adverb
- In a way that is not required; rare and very formal.
Commonly confused: nonobligatory or obligatory? nonobligatory or non-negotiable?
nonobligatory vs obligatory
Obligatory means you must do it; nonobligatory means you need not. Dropping the prefix 'non-' reverses the meaning completely, so check the sentence carefully.
nonobligatory vs non-negotiable
Non-negotiable means something cannot be changed or discussed, which is different from not being required.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'nonobligatory' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Nonobligatory' means not required, so a factory may choose to skip the inspection. The other options all describe something that must be done, which contradicts the word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonobligatory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.