obligation

American  

[ob-li-gay-shuhn] / ˌɒb lɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

• obligations
  plural

1. 

   something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc.

   Synonyms:

   responsibility

2. something that is done or is to be done for such reasons.

   to fulfill one's obligations.

3. a binding promise, contract, sense of duty, etc.

4. the act of binding or obliging oneself by a promise, contract, etc.

5. Law.

   1. an agreement enforceable by law, originally applied to promises under seal.

   2. a document containing such an agreement.

   3. a bond containing a penalty, with a condition annexed for payment of money, performance of covenants, etc.

   Synonyms:

   covenant, contract

6. any bond, note, bill, certificate, or the like, as of a government or a corporation, serving as evidence of indebtedness.

7. an indebtedness or amount of indebtedness.

8. a favor, service, or benefit for which gratitude is due.

9. a debt of gratitude.

   He felt an obligation to his teacher.

10. the state of being under a debt, as of gratitude, for a favor, service, or benefit.

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obligation British  

/ ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. a moral or legal requirement; duty

2. the act of obligating or the state of being obligated

3. law a legally enforceable agreement to perform some act, esp to pay money, for the benefit of another party

4. law

   1. a written contract containing a penalty

   2. an instrument acknowledging indebtedness to secure the repayment of money borrowed

5. a person or thing to which one is bound morally or legally

6. something owed in return for a service or favour

7. a service or favour for which one is indebted

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Synonym Usage

See duty.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preobligation
  noun
• reobligation
  noun
• superobligation
  noun
• obligational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obligations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of obligation

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligation, from Latin obligātiōn-, stem of obligātiō “bond, engagement, pledge,” from obligāt(us) “bound” (past participle of obligāre; see obligate) + -iō -ion

Explanation

An obligation is a duty. It's your obligation or responsibility to call your mom on Mother's Day. Sending flowers would be even better. When you are morally or legally bound to a particular commitment, it's your obligation to follow through on it. If you see a crime taking place, for example, it's your obligation to notify the police. If an elderly person comes onto a full bus, it's your obligation to give up your seat for him. Sometimes when you enter a formal agreement with someone involving money, you might have to sign an obligation that states you are committed to paying back what you've borrowed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obligation obligations

The man who had been my husband, lover, sports companion and partner became increasingly a different and unappealing obligation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

The idea took hold among wealthy donors who felt a moral obligation to give, but wanted their money to do as much good as possible.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Britain made its sovereign debt Parliament’s obligation rather than the king’s, and began publishing fiscal data.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Those in support of reopening the gates say the university has an obligation to the city and local neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Is it too much to hope that even at this late state he will regain his balance and fulfill his obligation to the chess world by trying to play Spassky without histrionics?

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The U.S. has warned Moscow that its failure to disclose details about the death violates international health obligations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The Fed says the deferred asset has “no implications” for its ability to meet its financial obligations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

A Meta spokesperson said in a statement that it "takes its regulatory obligations under the Online Safety Act seriously".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Cornell has obligations to provide support to its students.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

I didn’t know what he did for lunch, who his friends were, what his social obligations might be, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know yet.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• accountability
• agreement
• bond
• burden
• commitment
• constraint
• contract
• debt
• duty
• liability
• necessity
• need
• promise
• requirement
• right
• trust
• understanding