- possible but not compulsory; left to personal choice
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
op•tion•al
(op′shə nl),USA pronunciation adj.
op′tion•al′i•ty, n.
op′tion•al•ly, adv.
- left to one's choice;
not required or mandatory:Formal dress is optional. - leaving something to choice.
- option + -al1 1755–65
op′tion•al•ly, adv.
- 1. . discretional, elective, voluntary.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
optional /ˈɒpʃənəl/ adj
op•tion /ˈɑpʃən/USA pronunciation
n.
v. [~ + object]
op•tion•al•ly, adv. See -opt-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- the power or right of choosing:[uncountable]to have no option but to stay.
- something that may be chosen;
choice:[countable]Your options are law school or taking a job. - an item of equipment or an extra feature that may be chosen:[countable]The car had several options like power windows and a CD player.
v. [~ + object]
- to take or grant an option on.
op•tion•al•ly, adv. See -opt-.
- See choice.
op•tion
(op′shən),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
op′tion•a•ble, adj.
- the power or right of choosing.
- something that may be or is chosen;
choice. - the act of choosing.
- an item of equipment or a feature that may be chosen as an addition to or replacement for standard equipment and features: a car with a long list of extra-cost options;
a telephoto lens option for a camera. - See stock option.
- a privilege acquired, as by the payment of a premium or consideration, of demanding, within a specified time, the carrying out of a transaction upon stipulated terms;
the right, as granted in a contract or by an initial payment, of acquiring something in the future:We bought one lot and took a 90-day option on an adjoining one. - [Football.]a play in which a back has a choice of either passing or running with the ball.
v.t.
- to acquire or grant an option on:The studio has optioned his latest novel for film adaptation.
- to provide with optional equipment:The car can be fully optioned at additional cost.
- Latin optiōn- (stem of optiō) choice, equivalent. to op(tāre) to select (see opt) + -tiōn- -tion
- 1595–1605
- 2. See choice. 2. 3. selection, election.
'optional' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
elective
- privilege
- votive
- catchweight
- dress
- facultative
- opt
- option
- permissive
- sticker price