obligation
noun
Simple meaning
Something you must do because of a duty or promise.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ahbluhgayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɑbləˈɡeɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A social, legal, or moral requirement, duty, contract, or promise that compels someone to follow or avoid a particular course of action.
The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie to someone.
A course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience by which someone is bound or restricted.
The state of being obligated to do or pay something
“He is under an obligation to finish the job.”
countable
Reason for being obliged to, that is, grateful for, something.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A social, legal, or moral requirement, duty, contract, or promise that compels someone to follow or avoid a particular course of action.
Used this way, obligation is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Law/legal
- Government/politics
- Academic writing
- Ethics/values
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use obligation
- “He is under an obligation to finish the job.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An obligation to pay money to another party.
A day when Catholics must attend Mass and refrain from servile work, and Episcopalians must take Communion.
An obligation arising out of considerations of right and wrong.
Negotiable debt obligations of the United States government which guarantees that interest and principal payments will be paid on time.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: social or legal or or moral requirement
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “obligation” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.