optionele

Optionele is a Dutch adjective meaning optional or not mandatory. It is used to indicate that a feature, option, or field can be chosen or added at the user’s or purchaser’s discretion rather than required. The word derives from the Latin root optio, through the French term optionnel, and has become a common term in product descriptions, software interfaces, and contracts.

In practical use, optie refers to elements that can be included at extra cost or by choice. Examples include “een optionele extra service,” “optionele velden in het formulier,” and “de optionele upgrade.” In many contexts, particularly in software and services, marking something as optioneel helps distinguish between required settings and those that are left to the user.

Morphology and grammar: the base adjective is optie l. In attributive position before a definite noun or in plural form, Dutch typically uses an inflected form such as “optionele” (for example, de optionele keuze, optionele velden). The exact form follows standard Dutch adjective declension rules and may vary with number and definiteness.

Related terms and nuances: facultatief is a close synonym often used in more formal or institutional settings, and both terms describe choices that are not mandatory. The distinction can be subtle: facultatief emphasizes discretion or optional procedure, while optional focuses on the presence of an available choice. In regulatory or contractual language, optioneel is common to signal what is not compulsory.

Overall, optionele describes non-mandatory elements across contexts such as products, services, forms, and software, supporting flexible configuration and personalization.