obligation

[ob-li-gey-shuhn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obligation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

something that is done or is to be done for such reasons: to fulfill one's obligations.

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

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

Law.

an agreement enforceable by law, originally applied to promises under seal.
a document containing such an agreement.
a bond containing a penalty, with a condition annexed for payment of money, performance of covenants, etc.

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

an indebtedness or amount of indebtedness.

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

a debt of gratitude: He felt an obligation to his teacher.

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

Nearby words

Origin of obligation

1250–1300; Middle English obligacioun < Old French obligation < Latin obligātiōn- (stem of obligātiō) a binding, equivalent to obligāt(us) bound (see obligate) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR obligation

1. responsibility. 5. contract, covenant.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obligation ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspre·ob·li·ga·tion, nounre·ob·li·ga·tion, nounsu·per·ob·li·ga·tion, noun

Synonym study

1. See duty.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for obligation

Obviously, the first obligation of all liberal democratic governments is to enforce the rule of law.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the obligation of citizens and journalists as well as governments.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“It is our Islamic obligation to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and give it our Islamic fealty,” he said.
ISIS Targets Afghanistan Just as the U.S. Quits|Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he has always said we have an obligation to defend people in the region.
Rand Paul Declares War on ISIS—and Allows Boots on the Ground|Olivia Nuzzi|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Krauss says that ending religion is a matter of obligation, but I think our obligations are much different.
Why Are Millennials Unfriending Organized Religion?|Vlad Chituc|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has created neither the sense of obligation nor the determination of what is right or wrong in conduct.
Introduction to the History of Religions|Crawford Howell Toy
The obligation was mutual, that the host should give hospitality, and that the guest should not abuse it.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 8|Various
For love is held by a certainty of obligation, which because men are mischievous, is broken upon any occasion of their own profit.
Machiavelli, Volume I|Niccol Machiavelli
I never had any, and now there is nothing I could do which would quite wipe out the obligation I feel I am under to you, he said.
The Dust of Conflict|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
Farewell, you have laid me under a load of obligation—not that I feel it a load.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume II (of II)|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for obligation

obligation

noun

a moral or legal requirement; duty

the act of obligating or the state of being obligated

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

law

a written contract containing a penalty
an instrument acknowledging indebtedness to secure the repayment of money borrowed

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

something owed in return for a service or favour

a service or favour for which one is indebted

Derived Formsobligational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for obligation

obligation

c.1300, from Old French obligacion "obligation, duty, responsibility" (early 13c.) and directly from Latin obligationem (nominative obligatio) "an engaging or pledging," literally "a binding" (but rarely used in this sense), noun of action from past participle stem of obligare (see oblige). The notion is of binding with promises or by law or duty.