obligated 1 of 2

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

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
On the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, journalist Pablo Torre reported that Leonard wasn’t obligated to perform services to Aspiration, that the deal would end if the Clippers traded Leonard and that the payments were understood as circumventing the cap. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2025 As the Costs of War project at Brown University noted in 2021, the United States spent and obligated $8 trillion in waging its post-9/11 wars. The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025 Residents work longer hours, are paid significantly less and are obligated to complete their training programs in order to attain specialty certification. Patrick Aguilar, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025 Because the local chefs and restaurant owners won’t be operating the airport outposts themselves, Areas and High Flying Foods are obligated to follow the recipes provided them and to work collaboratively on training the employees. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025 Far from being dead, reunions exist now in a zone of distortion, a weird gray area in which many people feel obligated to go without quite knowing why. Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025 To be fair, Belichick is not obligated to share that information, especially considering that it can be used against him later on. Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025 Hartig has argued she was not obligated to turn the report over, and is fighting the other claims against her, too. Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2025 Employees also felt obligated to conform to a certain idea of femininity. Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligated
Verb
  • At some point in the near future, a government will likely be compelled to impose unpopular austerity measures and address the deficits in the pension system.
    Jenni Reid, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Inclusion in the index typically provides a structural advantage to stocks, as passive funds and ETFs that track the benchmark are compelled to purchase shares.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Along with being grateful for the guidance and clarity IDC has provided, Sample also feels indebted to Flynn for his role in her life.
    Staff Author, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Given the sharp revenue declines, narrow margins, and a heavily indebted balance sheet, the micro-cap stock appears cheap for a reason and is better left alone.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Instead, Syed was forced out this summer despite two decades of experience in counterterrorism and cyber operations.
    Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The show also featured a number of first-time nominees and first-time winners like Tramell Tillman, Jeff Hiller, Hannah Einbinder, and Owen Cooper, all of whom were been forced to amend their moment in the spotlight to adhere to the joke.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Be grateful and show your gratitude.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Wood, who spoke to the auteur’s influence, remains grateful that it’s being used for the betterment of BIPOC creatives.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That means the sheriff and chief probation officer are not obliged to implement its recommendations.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Then they are obliged to follow all lines of enquiry and take action as appropriate.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet there’s another genre to which Hill was and continued to be equally beholden, and that’s the Hollywood musical.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Now, under intense pressure from City Hall, these 11 beholden board members want to throw a school system that has endured more than its share of chaos back into the financial maelstrom.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Investigators allege that Hernandez coerced at least five minors into participating in the production of child pornography on at least seven occasions, consistent with the seven charges.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Many of the women who spoke Monday addressed that claim directly, saying they were tricked and coerced from the start and that the deceit went far beyond one lie about where the video would be distributed.
    Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Obligated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligated. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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