obliging

adjective

oblig·​ing ə-ˈblī-jiŋ How to pronounce obliging (audio)
: willing to do favors : helpful
obligingly adverb
obligingness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for obliging

amiable, good-natured, obliging, complaisant mean having the desire or disposition to please.

amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with.

an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon.

a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in

obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.

our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.

was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

Examples of obliging in a Sentence

An obliging passerby helped her with her packages. an obliging concierge used her pull to get us reservations at the town's hottest restaurant
Recent Examples on the Web Years of obliging service to Trump at his weakest moments—voicing steadfast support for him during his two impeachments, offering legal arguments that bolstered his stubborn denial of his 2020 defeat—also paid off for Johnson. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 For example, in August last year, a historic drought led to exceptionally low water levels in the Panama Canal, obliging ships to carry less cargo or use lengthy alternative routes. Osvaldo Di Campli, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 At the last minute, a third-party guarantor entered the picture, obliging Christie’s to substantially increase pre-sale estimates. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2023 Faced with unrecoverable job losses in agriculture, small-town leaders courted manufacturers with subsidies, obliging regulations, and a cheap, non-unionized workforce. Manufacturers, accepting this invitation, industrialized the rural landscape. Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 Throughout his career, Mr. Robinson was always obliging when asked for an autograph and was even portrayed in a painting by Norman Rockwell, signing a baseball for a young fan. Gary Gately, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023 On top of this, China has already sought to gradually make the multilateral system more obliging of its national interests and values. Kevin Rudd, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2021 That flip, from obliging smart house to nightmarish funhouse, is not so far off from many of the current problems that plague contemporary smart home technology. Julia Malleck, Quartz, 5 May 2023 The roads are dry, dusted with a milky layer of salt, and the all-wheel-drive R75 proves obliging, more than once bringing itself back into line for me as hairpin follows hairpin. Robin Swithinbank, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obliging.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of oblige

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of obliging was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near obliging

Cite this Entry

“Obliging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliging. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

obliging

adjective
oblig·​ing
ə-ˈblī-jiŋ
: willing to do favors
obligingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on obliging

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