disoblige
Americanverb (used with object)
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to refuse or neglect to oblige; act contrary to the desire or convenience of; fail to accommodate.
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to give offense to; affront.
to be disobliged by a tactless remark.
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to cause inconvenience to; incommode.
to be disobliged by an uninvited guest.
verb
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to disregard the desires of
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to slight; insult
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informal to cause trouble or inconvenience to
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disoblige
1595–1605; < Middle French desobliger, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + obliger to oblige
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
True, Sir Luke—and I am afraid my father and mother will begin to be uneasy that I have not got one yet—and I shou'd be very sorry to disoblige them.
From Such Things Are A Play, in Five Acts by Mrs. Inchbald
I will teach you to dare importune Mr. Gorgibus, and plague him with your absurdities!——Ah! my brother … ——Hold your tongue, I tell you.——I would not disoblige … —— … Be silent, rascal.——
From The Flying Doctor (Le Médecin Volant) by Charles Heron Wall
As she is the Reservoir of Favour, greater Court is made to her than to the Duke himself, and Woe be to those that dare to disoblige her!
Mr. Lyon looked a little disturbed; but his manner was perfect, as he replied that he regretted to seem to disoblige, but that he feared the conditions of their little bet would not allow it.
From Devil Stories An Anthology by Various
Shortly afterwards Addison went to him and said, "that some particular friends, whom he could not disoblige, insisted on its being acted."
From The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 1 New Edition by Alexander Pope
These particular friends who were not to be disobliged seem to have been shining lights of the Whig party.
From The Palmy Days of Nance Oldfield by Edward Robins
I hope I may have leave to observe transiently, that none but angry men, that is, such as hold themselves disobliged at Court, are the Pillars of his Party.
From His Majesties Declaration Defended by John Dryden
And, as nobody replied, she stamped her bare foot in its silken chamber-shoe, like any angry child in petty fury when disobliged.
From The Little Red Foot by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
The disarming of our men was what chiefly disobliged our people, though the weapons were only lodged in the custom-house, and those only belonging to the ship's company.
I would not have disobliged you for the price of two such mares.
From McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey
Granted, Sir Chris Bryant was almost as disobliging about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor 15 years ago, as an opposition MP, when there were calls then for him to be sacked as the government's trade envoy.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
She was suspected of suffering in silence, when silence is seen as weak or disobliging, and she was denigrated for it, her denials distrusted.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 9, 2019
As one disobliging student says of them, “The only thing they care about is looking like they care.”
From The Guardian ● Feb. 11, 2016
"You know, the great British portraitist. He was jealous of the prices she commanded and in his work Oriental Tales he was most disobliging about her. Said she was feeble and vulgar!"
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2015
It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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