Essential
Essential adjective - Impossible to do without.
Usage example: a well-stocked public library is essential for the well-being of a community
Obligatory is a synonym for essential in binding topic. In some cases you can use "Obligatory" instead an adjective "Essential", when it comes to topics like crucial.
Obligatory
Obligatory adjective - Forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law.
Usage example: in this state, school attendance is obligatory until the age of 16
Essential is a synonym for obligatory in binding topic. You can use "Essential" instead an adjective "Obligatory", if it concerns topics such as required, compulsory, requisite.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- critical and essential
- critical and obligatory
- needed and essential
- needed and obligatory
- important and essential
- important and obligatory
- necessary and essential
- necessary and obligatory
- mandatory and essential
- mandatory and obligatory
- required and essential
- required and obligatory
- imperative and essential
- imperative and obligatory
Both words in one sentence
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It's almost an Obligatory Joke in an episode where a hospital is essential to the plot.
Source: Shockingly Expensive Bill
Cite this Source
Obligatory and Essential. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/obligatory
Essential & Obligatory. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/obligatory>.
Obligatory or Essential. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/essential/obligatory.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "essential" and "obligatory" have occurred on timeline