Compulsory and Necessary

Compulsory

Compulsory adjective - Forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law.
Usage example: compulsory retirement at age 70

Necessary is a synonym for compulsory in obligatory topic. In some cases you can use "Necessary" instead the word "Compulsory" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like obligation, binding, mandatory. popular alternative

Nearby Words: compulsion, compulsive

Necessary

Necessary adjective - Forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law.
Usage example: an emissions test is necessary before you can renew the registration for your car

Compulsory is a synonym for necessary in obligatory topic. You can use "Compulsory" instead an adjective "Necessary", if it concerns topics such as obligation, needed, mandatory, essential. popular alternative

Nearby Words: necessity, necessarily

Both words in one sentence

  • Strawman Has a Point Civil War was supposed to be a nuanced exploration of whether or not compulsory registration for superheroes was necessary to curb catastrophic mistakes and potential abuses of power.
Cite this Source
Necessary and Compulsory. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 20, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/compulsory/necessary
Compulsory & Necessary. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/compulsory/necessary>.
Necessary or Compulsory. 2016. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/compulsory/necessary.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "compulsory" and "necessary" have occurred on timeline