Imperative and Obligatory

Imperative

Imperative adjective - Forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law.
Usage example: reporting signs of physical abuse is now an imperative duty for hospital and school personnel

Obligatory is a synonym for imperative in required topic. In some cases you can use "Obligatory" instead an adjective "Imperative", when it comes to topics like obligation, necessary, mandatory, urgent. popular alternative

Nearby Words: imperious, imperatively

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

Imperative is a synonym for obligatory in obligation topic. You can use "Imperative" instead the word "Obligatory" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as mandatory, essential, compulsory, requisite. popular alternative

Nearby Words: obligation, obliging, obligate, obligatorily, obligating
Cite this Source
Obligatory and Imperative. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/imperative/obligatory
Imperative & Obligatory. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/imperative/obligatory>.
Obligatory or Imperative. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/imperative/obligatory.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "imperative" and "obligatory" have occurred on timeline