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.
2.
something that is done or is to be done for such reasons: to fulfill one's obligations.
3.
a binding promise, contract, sense of duty, etc.
4.
the act of binding or obliging oneself by a promise, contract, etc.
5.
Law.
a.
an agreement enforceable by law, originally applied to promises under seal.
b.
a document containing such an agreement.
c.
a bond containing a penalty, with a condition annexed for payment of money, performance of covenants, etc.
6.
any bond, note, bill, certificate, or the like, as of a government or a corporation, serving as evidence of indebtedness.
7.
an indebtedness or amount of indebtedness.
8.
a favor, service, or benefit for which gratitude is due.
9.
a debt of gratitude: He felt an obligation to his teacher.
10.
the state of being under a debt, as of gratitude, for a favor, service, or benefit.
Origin: 1250–1300;Middle Englishobligacioun < Old Frenchobligation < Latinobligātiōn- (stem of obligātiō) a binding, equivalent to obligāt(us) bound (see obligate) + -iōn--ion
Related forms
pre·ob·li·ga·tion, noun
re·ob·li·ga·tion, noun
su·per·ob·li·ga·tion, noun
Synonyms 1. responsibility. See duty. 5. contract, covenant.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
c.1300, from O.Fr. obligation (1235), from L. obligationem (nom. obligatio) "an engaging or pledging," lit. "a binding" (but rarely used in this sense), noun of action from obligare (see oblige). The notion is of binding with promises or by law or duty.