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
This is the level of cuts in CAP water that Arizona originally proposed to take under most hydrological circumstances after 2027, unless farmers in western Arizona agree to take some of the burden off the CAP — which they are not obligated to do. Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025 Evers cannot tap unspent federal funding from pandemic aid laws because all of that money has been obligated to other recipients, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025 And even less in foreign aid to Nigeria is projected for FY2025 -- roughly $550 million has been obligated for the year, though the data is incomplete. Mariam Khan, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025 Nessel and officials with the other states argue the agency is legally obligated to use contingency funds and other means in its control to cover SNAP benefits, which provide food assistance in the form of funds made available to low-income individuals and families via benefit cards. Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025 For one thing, they are typically obligated, by the venture-capital firms that fund them, to grow as quickly as possible. Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025 Usually the artist will feel obligated to give the audience a breather with at least a couple songs that deal with something other than the central rupture, or which flash forward to assure everyone that the singer is doing all right and healing up, thank you, post-split. Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2025 The loss could reduce services, force staff layoffs and even lead to closures, all while increasing the number of uninsured patients that these clinics are legally obligated to serve regardless of their ability to pay. Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2025 After the Acting City Attorney Christopher Creech explained that the city manager and the city attorney are obligated to share their opinion about a potential violation of code, Barbadillo suggested that both the city manager and the city attorney should face a performance evaluation. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligated
Verb
  • He was extradited to Pennsylvania for questioning and when he was compelled to testify before a grand jury, Schrader invoked his Fifth Amendment right when asked about Carol Ann Dougherty's murder.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Parks' arrest, however, compelled her to want to do more.
    Time, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • As in many other low-income nations participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure framework, Zambia is heavily indebted to Chinese state banks, and Chinese companies have been accused of violating labor and environmental regulations.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • While plenty of risks remain — Milei’s party will still be in the minority in Argentina’s national legislature, and the South American nation remains deeply indebted — for now Bessent’s risky move looks to be another win, decades after his involvement in a legendary bet against the UK pound.
    Daniel Flatley, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As a result, the government is now forced to sell even more oil on the black market at a discount to evade US government sanctions, one of the economists in Caracas told CNN.
    Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
  • This was not the only notable injury on offense for the Packers in Week 9, as rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden was also forced to exit the game with a shoulder injury.
    Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Names were announced, cheers ensued and grateful winners accepted and quickly posed for photos.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Sally is grateful for your kindness and love.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • These were gangsters, so they weren’t obliged to couch this any way but direct.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Shaw-naé pushed for an in-person appointment, and the doctor obliged.
    Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • But Netanyahu was beholden for his political future to the radical minority that supported it, and constantly catered to their whims.
    Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Verb
  • Detectives even allegedly coerced Rosie into signing a document implicating Frank Jordano and his father, Iorlando Jordano.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
  • This is the real danger for the NBA—players who get coerced into trying to rig games.
    Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 28 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Obligated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligated. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.

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