mandatory

views updated May 14 2018

man·da·to·ry / ˈmandəˌtôrē/ • adj. required by law or rules; compulsory: wearing helmets was made mandatory for cyclists. ∎  of or conveying a command: he did not want the guidelines to be mandatory.• n. (pl. -ries) variant spelling of mandatary.DERIVATIVES: man·da·to·ri·ly / -ˌtôrəlē/ adv.

Mandatory

views updated Jun 08 2018

MANDATORY

Peremptory; obligatory; required; that which must be subscribed to or obeyed.

Mandatory statutes are those that require, as opposed to permit, a particular course of action. Their language is characterized by such directive terms as "shall" as opposed to "may." A mandatory provision is one that must be observed, whereas a directory provision is optional.

An example of a mandatory provision is a law that provides that an election judge must endorse his or her initials on a ballot.

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