optional

adj, noun — 3 senses

optional

adj

UK /ˈɒp.ʃə.nəl/ · US /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/

Etymology From option + -al.

1

Not compulsory; left to personal choice; elective.

  • On that beach clothing is entirely optional.
  • 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:
Synonyms
discretionary, elective, facultative, free, noncompulsory, nonmandatory, nonobligate, nonobligatory, nonrequired, nonrequisite, optional, optionary, unrequired, volitional, voluntary
Antonyms
non-optional, nonoptional, compulsory, mandatory, obligate, obligatory, required, requisite
Derived terms
clothing optional, optionalize, unoptional
Related terms
option, optionality, optionally, acquiescent

optional

noun

Etymology From option + -al.

1

Something that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.

2

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences Capitalized, Sometimes In various programming languages, a kind of variable that is assigned a specific data type but may or may not hold an actual value.

  • 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:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.