English Meaning & Definitions
An act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.
- “I have an obligation to look after my elderly parents.”
- “The contract imposes a legal obligation on the company to provide a refund.”
The condition of being indebted to someone for a favor or service.
- “I don't want to be under any obligation to him after what he did.”
- “She felt a deep sense of obligation toward the mentor who had helped her career.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “obligation”.
Derived from the Latin 'obligatio', from 'obligare' (to bind, tie up), composed of 'ob-' (to) and 'ligare' (to bind). Historically, it referred to a legal or moral bond that ties a person to a specific course of action or duty.
Think of an 'ob-lig-ation' as being 'obliged' to 'link' yourself to a promise or duty.
Frequently Asked Questions About “obligation”
1. What is the meaning of “obligation” in English?
In English, obligation (noun) is defined as: “An act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.”.
2. How do you use “obligation” in a sentence?
“I have an obligation to look after my elderly parents.”
3. What are English synonyms of “obligation”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “obligation”?
Derived from the Latin 'obligatio', from 'obligare' (to bind, tie up), composed of 'ob-' (to) and 'ligare' (to bind). Historically, it referred to a legal or moral bond that ties a person to a specific course of action or duty.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.