obligation

American  

[ob-li-gey-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.

---

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

---

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 scholar’s obligation is therefore not to proclaim truth, but to report evidence honestly, acknowledge uncertainty and remain open to correction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

TELLURIDE, Colo. — Standing ovations at film festivals are a rite: part appreciation, part obligation, part a need to stretch your legs after sitting for a couple of hours.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

The local postmaster, a Jacksonian Democrat named Alfred Huger, was unnerved by what he considered inflammatory content and sequestered the abolitionist material, rather than comply with his legal obligation to deliver the mail.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

War—or more broadly, the obligation to protect your community—harnessed strength as service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

It was apparent right from the start that discovery, priority and originality were ambiguous and, at the limit, incoherent; and that these values conflicted with the obligation to check and check again before publication.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The Government acknowledged errors, quashed its own approval, and the developer eventually conceded it needed to agree binding clean energy obligations with the council.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Matthews said until the Blythe prison site’s infrastructure is separated from neighboring Ironwood State Prison and its bond obligations are resolved, the property can’t move through the state’s process for dispensing with surplus property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

While people were grieving and exhausted, critical financial obligations had to be reconstructed, verified and settled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Oracle impressed Wall Street with its remaining performance obligations, or the value of signed contracts not yet converted to revenue.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

It comes with no salary and no spelled-out set of obligations.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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