optional
adjective
op·tion·al
ˈäp-sh(ə-)nəl 
: involving an option : not compulsory
optionally
adverb
Examples of optional in a Sentence
Jackets are required at the restaurant, but ties are optional.
Many optional features are available on this car.
Registration is optional, not mandatory.
Recent Examples on the Web
The board agreed and voted unanimously to make the class optional this coming schoolyear instead of mandatory.
—
Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
The new Certificate of Need process would shorten many of those time frames, with the period to determine the completion of applications shrinking from 30 to just three days followed by decision deadlines cut in half and public hearings made optional, according to a release from Anwar.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
Photo : Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby's The interior is evocative of a bygone era where toggle switches were standard and seat belts were optional.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2025
An optional magnetic-release clasp can then be hung from the T6, with a keyring in turn hanging from the bottom of that clasp.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optional
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Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
The new Certificate of Need process would shorten many of those time frames, with the period to determine the completion of applications shrinking from 30 to just three days followed by decision deadlines cut in half and public hearings made optional, according to a release from Anwar.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2025
Photo : Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby's The interior is evocative of a bygone era where toggle switches were standard and seat belts were optional.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2025
An optional magnetic-release clasp can then be hung from the T6, with a keyring in turn hanging from the bottom of that clasp.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optional
Cite this Entry
“Optional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optional. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
optional
adjective
op·tion·al
ˈäp-shnəl
-shən-ᵊl
: left to one's choice : not required
optional equipment on a new car
optionally
adverb
-ē
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