How to Use optional in a Sentence

optional

adjective
  • Jackets are required at the restaurant, but ties are optional.
  • Many optional features are available on this car.
  • Registration is optional, not mandatory.
  • Add in a pinch of salt (optional splash of vinegar) and bring to a boil 2.
    — Ashia Aubourg, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
  • In the gym, a sign said masks had become optional as of Feb. 17.
    — Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2022
  • In the gym, a sign said masks had become optional as of Feb. 17.
    — Karin Brulliard and Adria Malcolm, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2022
  • In the model home, the optional third floor has a full bathroom.
    — Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
  • All of the resort's menu items are plant-based, with some optional meat add-ons.
    — Karen Cicero, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Place the basil leaves (and optional lemon zest) into a clean glass jar.
    — Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • The contract would be for five years, with the last two years of that contract optional.
    — Steve Lord, chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2022
  • Masks have been optional in the district this school year.
    — Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2022
  • The optional bacon adds a brawny heft here, but the stew will be just as hardy without it.
    — Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
  • All the work is optional and will not count toward a student’s grade.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
  • Many have made the tests optional, and some won’t consider them at all.
    — Rich Lowry, National Review, 2 May 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 14 July 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
  • Inside the cozy cockpit, leather, burl wood, and side curtains with sliding plastic windows take the driver back many decades to a time when radios were an optional nuisance—all that mattered was the vehicle and the road.
    — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 30 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'optional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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