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Discretionary vs Mandatory - What's the difference?

discretionary | mandatory |

As adjectives the difference between discretionary and mandatory

is that discretionary is available at one's discretion; able to be used as one chooses; left to or regulated by one's own discretion or judgment while mandatory is obligatory; required or commanded by authority.

As a noun mandatory is

a person, organisation or state who receives a mandate; a mandatary.

discretionary

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Available at one's discretion; able to be used as one chooses; left to or regulated by one's own discretion or judgment.
    • discretionary income
    discretionary powers

    Derived terms

    * discretionary spending * nondiscretionary * nondiscretionary spending

    See also

    * abuse

    mandatory

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Obligatory; required or commanded by authority.
    • Attendance at a school is usually mandatory .
  • * 1999 , Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Figments of Reality: The Evolution of the Curious Mind , page 276
    • This kind of immediate control structure we take to be characteristic of the tribe, and it leads to a rather rigid type of system in which 'every action not mandatory is forbidden'.
  • Of, being or relating to a mandate.
    • Mandatory Palestine

    Synonyms

    * compulsory * obligatory

    Antonyms

    * (obligatory) optional * (obligatory) elective

    Derived terms

    * mandatoriness

    Noun

    (mandatories)
  • (dated, rare) A person, organisation or state who receives a mandate; a mandatary.

    • External links

    * * * Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary * The Oxford English Dictionary

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