oblige
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oblige
- /əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/
- /əˈbliːd͡ʒ/ obsolete
- /ɒˈbliːd͡ʒ/ obsolete
Rhymes with -aɪdʒ
Where it comes from
From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligō, obligāre, from ob- + ligō. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin.
verb obliges · obliging · obliged
-
To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.
Your carelessness obliges firmness on my part.
Similar: necessitate
-
To do (someone) a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation).
He obliged me by not parking his car in the drive.
Similar: accommodate
- To cause somebody to feel indebted. I am much obliged to you for your recent help.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: compel, obligate, accommodate, hold, bind, impose, coerce, enforce, constrain, forced, undertake, get, persuade, demand, require, bring
Translations
Every language
verb to constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means
| Español | obligar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 義務付ける gimuzukeru |
| 中文 | 强迫 qiǎngpò |
| Português | obrigar |
| Français | imposer, obliger |
| Deutsch | verpflichten |
| Italiano | obbligare, forzare, costringere |
| Ελληνικά | υποχρεώνω ypochreóno |
| Română | obliga |
| Русский | обя́зывать objázyvatʹ, обяза́ть objazátʹ |
verb to do someone a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation)
| Español | favorecer, complacer, serviciar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 世話をする sewa o suru, サービスする sābisu suru |
| 中文 | 幫忙 /帮忙 bāngmáng |
| Français | rendre service à, obliger |
| Deutsch | einen Gefallen tun |
| Italiano | fare un favore, indebitarsi |
| Русский | де́лать одолже́ние délatʹ odolžénije, сде́лать одолже́ние sdélatʹ odolžénije |
verb to be indebted to someone
| 日本語 | 恩義がある ongi ga aru, 世話になる sewa ni naru |
|---|---|
| Français | être redevable à |
| Ελληνικά | είμαι ευγνώμων eímai evgnómon |
| Русский | быть обя́занным bytʹ objázannym |
Talk about this word "oblige." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/oblige. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. oblige. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/oblige "oblige." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/oblige.Cite this
@misc{oblige_2026,
title = {oblige},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/oblige},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
