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
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.
While employers in the UK are within their rights to ask you how much you get paid in your current role, applicants are not obliged to tell them.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Takahashi, however, said TikTok was "no longer obliged to delete" the videos in question because the anonymous user behind them had taken them down several months after the lawsuit began.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Wars are unpredictable, and the enemy isn’t obliged to cooperate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Perhaps these international festivals are testing their own waters to see if they’re obliged to invite Americans to their party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Technically, given the rules of the code duello, Burr should have felt obliged to accept Hamilton’s explanation as the equivalent of an apology.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
