OPTIONAL Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

optional

adjective

ˈäp-sh(ə-)nəl

as in voluntary

subject to one's freedom of choice at the resort all recreational activities are optional, and you may choose to participate in none of them

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of optional Buyers can also skip the optional pop-top all-together and keep the van a two-sleeper. —

New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2025 The three-cabin version has an optional private staircase to the owner’s full-beam suite. —

Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2025 At their core, risotto recipes are quite humble, calling for rice, broth, aromatics (often some type of onion and garlic), and optional mix-ins like cheese, vegetables, wine, and meat. —

Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Jan. 2025 Allwood even sells additional wall planks and an exterior awning (currently unavailable) as optional add-ons. —

Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 18 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for optional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for optional

Adjective

But the idea of displacement, voluntary or otherwise, is horrifying to Jordan and Egypt and likely alarming to other Arab allies of the US, threatening decades of international consensus about the right of Palestinians to a homeland.

— Tim Lister, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
In 1994, the N.C. Poultry Federation adopted voluntary guidelines that said poultry houses should not be built closer than 500 feet to an occupied residence.

— Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 26 Jan. 2025