OBLIGATED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

obligated 1 of 2

adjective

as in obliged

being under obligation for a favor or gift we have been their guests so many times that we feel obligated to return their hospitality

Synonyms & Similar Words

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obligated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of obligate

as in compelled

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the problem is of your own making, so don't think that you can obligate me to help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obligated

Adjective

The spokesperson did not respond to specific questions including what the legal basis would be for rescinding obligated funding. — Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 8 Aug. 2025

Verb

They’re being employed, and there are certain things that your employer’s obligated to do that your friends or family might not be. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026 SpaceX is contractually obligated to continue Falcon 9 flights for NASA’s International Space Station crew rotations and other national security payloads. — Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026 The bill included an exception for privileged communications during private confession and also required training for persons obligated to report abuse and neglect. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026 The government was contractually obligated to provide for the workers’ accommodations. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026 Those who do not currently drink tea should not feel obligated to start. — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Twisted Teens joked they were contractually obligated to write a grunge song after signing to Sub Pop, prompting Billiard to claim that modifying any Beatles chord progression to stay major instead of going minor gets the job done. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 The mayor’s decision to stop her, the judge found, violated constitutional protections that government officials were already obligated to respect. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 The foreign customer is funding the entire amount, with the money obligated at the time of the award. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligated

Adjective

These findings suggest that some heavily indebted borrowers have already reduced flexible expenses without freeing up enough money to substantially accelerate the repayment process.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
So why is its government spending less, and what happens if the most indebted cities can't afford it anymore?

— Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of indebted

Verb

Doncic said there has always been something in him that compelled him to establish connections with fans.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
From the classic ‘Whodunit’ style to thrilling neonoirs, mystery novels have compelled readers to solve cases alongside detectives like Hercule Poirot.

— Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of compelled

Adjective

Warnock’s connection with Black voters in particular has drawn the attention of grateful candidates looking to shore up that crucial voting bloc.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Nov. 2026
And be grateful for hard working city staffers of all stripes.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of grateful

Verb

Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.

— Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

Returning to the table, Walzer said that a legal scholar had recently used the jus ex bello doctrine in an op-ed to argue that the war had become so costly to Ukrainians that their government was now obliged to make concessions to stop the fighting.

— Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
That should come as no surprise; NASA is, after all, part of the executive branch, and the agency is obliged to abide by executive orders.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obliged

Verb

He was acquitted at a 2019 retrial, where one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their earlier statements implicating him had been coerced by a then-homicide detective.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
But if one spouse was coerced into participating or the arbitrator exceeded the authority the couple had agreed to give them, a court could set the decision aside.

— Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of coerced

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“Obligated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligated. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of obligated

adjective

verb

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