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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of optional
Rolling back optional benefits that state Medicaid programs can cover, like adult dental services, is one potential strategy.
—
Maya Goldman, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
To search for fully remote or hybrid jobs, filter selections to include remote options, including remote only, remote optional and flexible/hybrid.
—Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2025
The profile includes your child's name, birth date, and an optional photo.
—PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025
After a half hour, I was called for my optional seshin, a full-body scrub delivered by an ajumma wearing the standard jjimjilbang uniform of black lace bra and underwear and wielding her exfoliating mitt like a weapon.
—Peggy Orenstein, AFAR Media, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for optional 
Maya Goldman, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
To search for fully remote or hybrid jobs, filter selections to include remote options, including remote only, remote optional and flexible/hybrid.
—Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2025
The profile includes your child's name, birth date, and an optional photo.
—PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025
After a half hour, I was called for my optional seshin, a full-body scrub delivered by an ajumma wearing the standard jjimjilbang uniform of black lace bra and underwear and wielding her exfoliating mitt like a weapon.
—Peggy Orenstein, AFAR Media, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for optional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optional
Adjective
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Evacuation warnings -- voluntary notices to leave -- begin to be issued in the Palisades Fire.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
16 Jan. 2025
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Catch up quick: The EU's Code of Practice on Disinformation, introduced in 2022, includes several voluntary commitments that tech firms and private companies, including fact-checking organizations, are expected to deliver on.—
Sara Fischer,
Axios,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Pet insurance also rarely covers elective procedures like ear cropping, tail docking or declawing.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
31 Dec. 2024
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Other stubborn problems—low birth rates, underemployment among the college-educated, a doctors’ strike that has effectively halted elective medical procedures—have gone largely unaddressed.—
Victor Cha,
The Atlantic,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Banking and technology continue to lead in discretionary spending, while industries like telecom and manufacturing remain more conservative.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
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Recognizing that different places have different needs, these federal efforts tended to channel resources to communities through discretionary grants rather than formula funding.—
Tim Freeman,
The Conversation,
13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near optional
Cite this Entry
“Optional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optional. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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