Meaning

5 senses

  1. (countable, uncountable)The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.

    Verpflichtung, Pflicht

    обяза́тельствоobjazátelʹstvo, долгdolg, обя́занностьobjázannostʹ

    зобов'я́занняzobovʺjázannja, зобов'яза́нняzobovʺjazánnja, пови́нністьpovýnnistʹ

  2. (countable, uncountable)A social, legal, or moral requirement, duty, contract, or promise that compels someone to follow or avoid a particular course of action.

    I feel I'm under obligation to attend my sister's wedding, even though we have a very frosty relationship.

    обя́занностьobjázannostʹ, долгdolg

    обо́в'язокobóvʺjazok, пови́нністьpovýnnistʹ

  3. (countable, uncountable)A course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience by which someone is bound or restricted.

    обя́занностьobjázannostʹ

  4. (countable, uncountable)A legal agreement stipulating a specified action or forbearance by a party to the agreement; the document containing such agreement.

    a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply

  5. (countable)Reason for being obliged to, that is, grateful for, something.

Examples

97 sentences

  1. We have an obligation to do our best.

    Ми зобов'язані зробити все можливе. — shanghainese

    ruМы обязаны сделать всё возможное. — odexed

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  2. You have no obligation to help.

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  3. We have an obligation to try.

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  4. I think that that's our obligation.

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  5. I intend to honor my obligation.

    deIch beabsichtige, meiner Verpflichtung nachzukommen. — Waldelfe

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone:
Русский
By meaning 1
act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone:

Origin

From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligat

From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: obligations
Singularobligation
Pluralobligations

regular

Synonyms

6 synonyms
the act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone:commitmentA2
requirement, duty, contract or promise:dutyB1
Close in meaning
  • a personal relation in which one is indebted for a service or favor:indebtedness
  • a written promise to repay a debt:debt instrumentcertificate of indebtedness
  • the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force:dutyresponsibility

Word family

15 related words
RelatedobligeC1obligateobligatedobligationalobligatorilyobligeeobligerobligingobliginglyobligingnessobligor
Derivedcounterobligationdebt obligationdisobligationmoral obligation

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

Collocations

3 patterns
  • an an obligation
  • an obligation to
  • obligation to do

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
objectorobligateobligatoryobligeC1obliquelyobliterate

Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.

obligation — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto