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
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Recent Examples of obligated
Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 8 Aug. 2025
Bob Chitrathorn, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
For example, a surviving joint account holder may remain responsible for paying the balance because they were already legally obligated on the account.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 22 June 2026
If it’s not obligated by the end of September, that money will expire and can no longer be spent.
—Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 22 June 2026
If a jury accepts the defense, it is obligated to convict a defendant of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
—Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
France’s rule barring under-15s from social media, for instance, doesn’t specify who is actually obligated to enforce it, since naming platforms as the responsible party would trigger a direct conflict with EU law.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2026
If a jury accepts the defense, it is obligated to convict a defendant of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026
Huang has felt obligated to respond to critics who warn of job losses and threats to humanity itself.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Musicians aren’t obligated to do anything political as part of the job, and plenty of audiences appreciate when artists don’t preach partisan points of view.
—Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
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
Clients should understand whether the advisor is legally obligated to put their interests first, how conflicts are disclosed and whether recommendations are shaped by commissions, proprietary products or outside incentives.
—Bob Chitrathorn, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
For example, a surviving joint account holder may remain responsible for paying the balance because they were already legally obligated on the account.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 22 June 2026
If it’s not obligated by the end of September, that money will expire and can no longer be spent.
—Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 22 June 2026
If a jury accepts the defense, it is obligated to convict a defendant of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
—Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
France’s rule barring under-15s from social media, for instance, doesn’t specify who is actually obligated to enforce it, since naming platforms as the responsible party would trigger a direct conflict with EU law.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2026
If a jury accepts the defense, it is obligated to convict a defendant of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026
Huang has felt obligated to respond to critics who warn of job losses and threats to humanity itself.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Musicians aren’t obligated to do anything political as part of the job, and plenty of audiences appreciate when artists don’t preach partisan points of view.
—Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligated
Adjective
-
These dishes illustrate how key indigenous ingredients and knowledge systems were to early American cuisine, even as Simmons’s recipes remained deeply indebted to British forms.—
Ashley Rose Young,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 June 2026
-
But because higher rates generally make borrowing more expensive, costs can add up for highly indebted households or those that carrying several different types of debt.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Iranian state television duly presented the agreement as proof that Iran had compelled America to accept its conditions, which helps explain the alarm in Israel and among Washington's hawks.—
Hamidreza Azizi,
Time,
19 June 2026
-
In defense of the players, San Francisco Archdiocese spokesman Peter Marlow stated that people of faith should not be compelled to suppress their convictions in public life.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Gail Willard is grateful her daughter is remembered by so many.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
-
Be grateful for the opportunities America affords to you and yours.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Extreme heat and dry, windy conditions fueled several wildfires in the West on Sunday, including an uncontained blaze in Utah that forced the evacuation of a small town southwest of Salt Lake City.—
Valerie Gonzalez,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
In 1976, the Bicentennial followed the traumas of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal that had forced President Richard Nixon's resignation.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Adjective
-
Ryan Broderick has watched digital media companies flame out — beholden to a single source of funding or a fickle algorithm.—
Scott Nover,
Washington Post,
21 June 2026
-
That trajectory continued through 2019’s sprawling Our Pathetic Age and 2023’s Action Adventure, which Shadow told SPIN reflected his desire to create music that felt more immediate and instinctive rather than beholden to expectations surrounding his legacy.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
You are not obliged to use AI for everything.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 June 2026
-
His status as the game’s best secure, Messi lifted the trophy in a bisht that had been placed upon him — obliged to share his greatest triumph with the geopolitical forces that had brought the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
The study was later shut down after an internal review confirmed that patients were coerced into participating.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
-
Weger later insisted he had been coerced into making the confession.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obligated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligated. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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