obliged

[ uh-blahyjd ]

adjective

1. bound by duty, ethics, or politeness:

   You can bring something to share at the picnic, but please don't feel obliged.

2. forced by law, regulation, or necessity:

   All students are obliged to participate in an internship program.

3. appreciative or grateful:

   If you could shed some light on this mystery, I'd be obliged.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of oblige ( def ).

Other Words From

• o·blig·ed·ly [uh, -, blahy, -jid-lee], adverb
• o·blig·ed·ness noun
• un·o·bliged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obliged¹

oblige ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. (very) much obliged, thank you (very much):

   Much obliged for your efforts!

Example Sentences

Because our time on earth is so limited, it’s absurd to try to spend it doing everything you’d dreamed of, or all you feel obliged to do.

From Time

“There is a very, very cautious approach not to oblige people to get vaccinated,” says Emmanuel Rivière, director general in France of the polling agency Kantar Public.

From Fortune

None of the countries involved wanted to open the door to being obliged to take climate migrants in, Burke told me.

From ProPublica

A critic can follow his or her own whim, from thing to thing, enthusiasm to enthusiasm, no longer obliged to pass judgment on things that aren’t of interest.

From Washington Post

I asked Andy if I could take a jar of them back home to Los Angeles, and he obliged.

From Eater

There were times when he seemed to feel obliged to tell Alfred Hitchcock stories.

From The Daily Beast

There, so taken, caught in the act, flat-footed, we are obliged to make our stand.

From The Daily Beast

After each session, she would sit with those who obliged and speak to them about their past, problems and desires.

From The Daily Beast

She claimed he proceeded to ask for the same, to which she happily obliged.

From The Daily Beast

No soldier is obliged to obey a law contrary to the law of God.

From The Daily Beast

I suppose he is sick of the sound of them, or perhaps it is because he feels obliged to be conscientious in teaching Beethoven!

From Project Gutenberg

The unhappy applicant was naturally obliged to temporarily retire from the game, at all events for that night.

From Project Gutenberg

At the latter date all artists were obliged to vacate the Sorbonne ateliers to make room for some new department of instruction.

From Project Gutenberg

And when he answered it, he was obliged to acknowledge that she had made upon his nature a definite impression.

From Project Gutenberg

That is the reason I feel obliged to return—if Mac is no longer able—or willing—to get up at night.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• compelled
• duty-bound
• enslaved
• indebted
• obligated