obligation

[ob-li-gey-shuhn]

noun

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of obligation¹

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; obligate ) + -iō -ion

Synonym Study

See duty.

Example Sentences

One investor concern, he noted, is that the company sits on “significant long-lived lease obligations” and would likely still be on the hook for many of them regardless of how the AI scene shakes out.

Read more on MarketWatch

For an investor such as an insurance company, with long-term obligations, that helps with the so-called duration of their portfolios.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Slowing productivity growth, together with growing government obligations, could force policymakers to make difficult decisions around taxation, public spending, and entitlement outlays, Vanguard’s Schickling says.

Read more on Barron's

Manufacturers are under no obligation to disclose this information.

Read more on BBC

“I felt an obligation to be financially stable because my parents aren’t always that stable,” says Zheng, now a college student studying finance and accounting.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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