obligato

American

[ob-li-gah-toh] / ˌɒb lɪˈgɑ toʊ /

adjective

plural

obligatos, obligati

obbligato.

obligato British

/ ˌɒblɪˈɡɑːtəʊ /

adjective

music a variant spelling of obbligato

"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

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.

We believe our country has a mor al obligati on to protect public health and our environment.

From Washington Post

When both solo and obligato had subsided, Juggernaut spoke again.

From Project Gutenberg

The chorus sing with much good humor, and are accompanied by a charming violin obligato.

From Project Gutenberg

At times when the obligato goat's laugh bleated in among the melodious pangs, I caught a glimpse in the background of a crowd of small women-figures who nodded their odious heads with wicked wantonness.

From Project Gutenberg

Any good literature, especially the poetic, must be based on reality, must at least incidentally have its running obligato of reality.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023