Optional Meaning
/ˈɒp.ʃə.nəl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjNot compulsory; left to personal choice; elective.
nounSomething that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.
Sentence Examples
An air conditioner is available as an optional extra.
The word "the" is optional in this sentence.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The school offers an ____ music class that students can skip if they want.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Attendance at the workshop is ____, but those who participate will receive a certificate.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English option Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English optional From option + -al.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Do you need to wear eyeliner? As with any makeup step, eyeliner is completely optional. From an artistic perspective, if you are wearing eyeshadow, I almost always recommend wearing eyeliner, unless your eyelids and eyelashes are obscured by the eyebrow area. Eyeliner is a basic part of an eye-makeup design because it shapes and defines the eyes and makes the eyelashes look thicker."
— 2004, Paula Begoun, The Complete Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty, Rodale Inc., →ISBN, page 419:
"In functional languages, there is a data type called the option type, also called the maybe type. Its purpose is to encapsulate a value, which is returned from a function. […] In Java 8, the Optional class has been added to serve as an option type."
— 2015, Richard M Reese, Learning Java Functional Programming, Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 147:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The school offers an ____ music class that students can skip if they want.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Attendance at the workshop is ____, but those who participate will receive a certificate.