obliged
Americanadjective
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bound by duty, ethics, or politeness.
You can bring something to share at the picnic, but please don't feel obliged.
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forced by law, regulation, or necessity.
All students are obliged to participate in an internship program.
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appreciative or grateful.
If you could shed some light on this mystery, I'd be obliged.
verb
idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of obliged
Explanation
Someone who is obliged is bound to follow through on whatever is expected of him. Every April you are obliged or expected to submit your taxes. If you don't, the IRS is obliged to charge you with tax evasion. Ouch. The word obliged comes from the Latin ligare meaning "to bind." Obliged typically refers to a moral or legal obligation or responsibility. If you're being followed by an ambulance with its siren on, you are obliged to pull to the side of the road and let it pass. In some cultures, women are obliged to cover their heads.
Vocabulary lists containing obliged
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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The Importance of Being Earnest
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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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.
As a consequence, as these stocks have continued their breathtaking rallies, portfolio rules have obliged managers to trim their positions.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
On Tuesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the administration was reviewing a possible increase in subsidy vouchers, saying it was obliged to preserve people’s purchasing power.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
A new pope’s first encyclical is always news, and Pope Leo XIV obliged on Monday with a nearly 43,000-word effort warning about artificial intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
The risk of cryptosporidium meant residents in some parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf have been obliged to boil their tap water before drinking, cooking or brushing teeth since last Friday.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
“Men who have been intimate all their lives,” he observed, “cross the street to avoid meeting, and turn their heads another way, lest they should be obliged to touch hats.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
