obliging

1 of 2

adjective

oblig·​ing ə-ˈblī-jiŋ 

: willing to do favors : helpful

obligingly adverb

obligingness noun

obligingness

2 of 2

noun

oblig·​ing·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being obliging

Synonyms of obliging

Adjective

• friendly

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

Adjective

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

Adjective

Perhaps it could be argued that Freiburg were obliging opponents. —Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 21 May 2026

Rarely does another forward group make Colorado look slow, but Minnesota seemed to delight in obliging. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 May 2026

The service Service is warm and obliging. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

In civil aerospace, for example, Rolls is benefiting as manufacturers Airbus and Boeing struggle to deliver new aircraft at the pace the market requires — obliging airlines to keep flying old planes (and their engines) for longer. —Ian King, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of oblige

First Known Use

Adjective

1632, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

obliging

adjective

oblig·​ing

ə-ˈblī-jiŋ

: willing to do favors

obligingly adverb