obligation
something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc.
something that is done or is to be done for such reasons: to fulfill one's obligations.
a binding promise, contract, sense of duty, etc.
the act of binding or obliging oneself by a promise, contract, etc.
Law.
an agreement enforceable by law, originally applied to promises under seal.
a document containing such an agreement.
a bond containing a penalty, with a condition annexed for payment of money, performance of covenants, etc.
any bond, note, bill, certificate, or the like, as of a government or a corporation, serving as evidence of indebtedness.
an indebtedness or amount of indebtedness.
a favor, service, or benefit for which gratitude is due.
a debt of gratitude: He felt an obligation to his teacher.
the state of being under a debt, as of gratitude, for a favor, service, or benefit.
Origin of obligation
1synonym study For obligation
Other words for obligation
Other words from obligation
- pre·ob·li·ga·tion, noun
- re·ob·li·ga·tion, noun
- su·per·ob·li·ga·tion, noun
Words Nearby obligation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use obligation in a sentence
Although corporations can opt in to become a PBC, there is no obligation on them to do so and they need the support of their shareholders.
50 years later, Milton Friedman’s shareholder doctrine is dead | jakemeth | September 13, 2020 | FortuneRight now, 71 percent of all non-agricultural part-time workers fit the latter category, and one of the biggest noneconomic reasons that people look for or accept part-time work is child care obligations.
The Easy Part Of The Economic Recovery Might Be Over | Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux | September 4, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightEach of us has an obligation to befriend people who are different from us and invite them into our homes.
We won’t have a true economic recovery until we tackle the racial wealth gap | matthewheimer | September 1, 2020 | FortuneEarlier in lockdown, when people were always available — because life outside the home was essentially banned — there were new, complicated obligations to be virtually present.
‘It can take on a panopticon effect’: Slack’s presenteeism problem grows with no end in sight for remote work | Lucinda Southern | August 28, 2020 | DigidayBy spreading out the payments over many years, he could keep his tax obligations low.
How the City Came to Lease a Lemon | Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx | August 10, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
Obviously, the first obligation of all liberal democratic governments is to enforce the rule of law.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is the obligation of citizens and journalists as well as governments.
“It is our Islamic obligation to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and give it our Islamic fealty,” he said.
ISIS Targets Afghanistan Just as the U.S. Quits | Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven the best of us can hurt the people who come to us for care when we forget that our foremost obligation is to them.
This government obligation is limited by practical considerations of safety and security.
There is an implied obligation on the hirer's part to use the car only for the purpose and in the manner for which it was hired.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesWith this political subjection one is reluctant to associate a more sordid kind of obligation.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. MurisonThe swearing of an oath always brings under obligation to God, and therefore always includes the making of a vow.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamIf he carries these gratuitously his obligation is still less, nevertheless he must even then take some care of them.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesSometimes a moral obligation to pay money is a good consideration for a promising to pay it.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
British Dictionary definitions for obligation
/ (ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃən) /
a moral or legal requirement; duty
the act of obligating or the state of being obligated
law a legally enforceable agreement to perform some act, esp to pay money, for the benefit of another party
law
a written contract containing a penalty
an instrument acknowledging indebtedness to secure the repayment of money borrowed
a person or thing to which one is bound morally or legally
something owed in return for a service or favour
a service or favour for which one is indebted
Derived forms of obligation
- obligational, adjective
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
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