American
[op-shuh-nl] / ˈɒp ʃə nl /
adjective
-
left to one's choice; not required or mandatory.
Formal dress is optional.
- Synonyms:
- voluntary, elective, discretional
-
leaving something to choice.
optional British
/ ˈɒpʃənəl /
adjective
-
possible but not compulsory; left to personal choice
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of optional
Explanation
If you can choose whether or not to do something, it is optional. Extra credit is always optional; death and taxes are not. When you buy a new car, you can decide which options or choices, you would like. Things like a DVD player mounted in the ceiling are optional, you don't need them for the car to work, and it's up to you if you want to pay more for them. The opposite of optional is mandatory. If you're in high school, going to bed at 8:00 is optional, for your little sister in elementary school, it's mandatory.
Keep Reading on Vocabulary.comVocabulary lists containing optional
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
optional
Meanwhile, rising debt means higher interest payments, which aren’t optional either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
That strategy led to decisions like making safety features optional, including tools designed to combat endless scrolling or limit enticing notifications.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Crisp Mexican-style chorizo is optional, but I genuinely like this best when the corn gets to be extremely, unapologetically corn.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Insurance companies will still be required to fully cover all childhood vaccines on the CDC schedule, including those now designated as optional.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
People said he treated the taxation laws as entirely optional, but he would make a fair deal where the need was real.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.