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obligatoire

compulsory

adjective oh-blee-ga-TWAR Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Origin: Latin 'obligatorius'

Also means

mandatory

Usage Note

Obligatoire is invariable in gender (same form for masculine and feminine). It is stronger than nécessaire (necessary), implying a legal or institutional requirement. The adverb obligatoirement means 'necessarily' but also carries the informal sense of 'inevitably' in spoken French, similar to 'bound to' in English.

Examples

"Le port de la ceinture est obligatoire."

Natural Translation

Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory.

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