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
Keith Sonderling, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
There was early skepticism about whether a non-journalist like Frost would or could ask tough questions, even though Nixon’s contract obligated him to discuss Watergate.
—Lorna Veraldi, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
This doesn’t mean that unique phrases can be stolen with impunity, or even that people shouldn’t feel morally obligated to acknowledge the sources of their inspiration.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Torre said Leonard wasn’t obligated to perform actions for payment and that the endorsement deal would end if Leonard was traded.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Min said the clause protects officers from guilt-by-association when legally obligated to assist federal operations.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
And Atapco would not be obligated to provide the $100,000 to Aria for infrastructure improvements nor help NCDOT or CDOT add a light or crosswalk onto Mallard Creek Road.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
By 2021, Quinn was done engaging with Elliott on quarterly financial statements beyond what Neon was obligated to provide under the distribution agreement.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
The system, starting up Monday, will refund tariffs directly to the businesses that paid them, which are not obligated to share the proceeds with customers.
—Mae Anderson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 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
The answer can have serious implications in a variety of scenarios, including when an employee is owed overtime pay and whether an additional company is obligated to pay it.
—Keith Sonderling, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
There was early skepticism about whether a non-journalist like Frost would or could ask tough questions, even though Nixon’s contract obligated him to discuss Watergate.
—Lorna Veraldi, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
This doesn’t mean that unique phrases can be stolen with impunity, or even that people shouldn’t feel morally obligated to acknowledge the sources of their inspiration.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Torre said Leonard wasn’t obligated to perform actions for payment and that the endorsement deal would end if Leonard was traded.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Min said the clause protects officers from guilt-by-association when legally obligated to assist federal operations.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
And Atapco would not be obligated to provide the $100,000 to Aria for infrastructure improvements nor help NCDOT or CDOT add a light or crosswalk onto Mallard Creek Road.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
By 2021, Quinn was done engaging with Elliott on quarterly financial statements beyond what Neon was obligated to provide under the distribution agreement.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
The system, starting up Monday, will refund tariffs directly to the businesses that paid them, which are not obligated to share the proceeds with customers.
—Mae Anderson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligated
Verb
-
Kristil Krug’s cousin believes that if communications companies had been compelled to respond faster, officials could have identified who was making the threats and saved her.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
-
Fisher felt compelled to respond.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Films like this one, heavily indebted to Irish folk horror, rarely wrap up cleanly.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
The founder of China Evergrande Group, the world’s most indebted property developer, pleaded guilty to charges including misuse of funds, fundraising fraud and illegally taking public deposits, a court in China’s southern city of Shenzhen said.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Liz Leone, who has 52 apartments in Las Vegas and is part of the lawsuit, said the moratorium almost forced her out of business.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
The president has surely been pleased that a friendly new Post opinion page has written columns so regularly praising his foreign policy acumen, and supporters of Ukraine may also be grateful.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
-
Nearly two months later with a playoff series win in Anaheim’s pocket, Carlson is grateful that the trade didn’t produce a one-and-done scenario as someone who could still be a rental addition.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Ticketmaster’s worst enemy obliged.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
Of course, Brown obliged the crowd’s request for second-year point guard Tyler Kolek.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
Adjective
-
One philosophy argues that judges should be completely independent and not subject to the volatile forces of public opinion, while the other, borne out of corruption concerns in the 1800s and early 1900s, argues that judges should be less beholden to politicians, and voters should have a voice.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
And then there’s the daffy spectacle of the films themselves, with plots beholden to almost avant-garde manipulations of time, space, and reality.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Without that market competition, the plaintiffs argued, gamers were coerced into paying higher prices, effectively allowing Sony to monopolize the sale of its digital PlayStation games.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
At the same time, they were aggressively promoted — and sometimes coerced — among socially and economically disadvantaged people, often in the name of preventing poverty.—
Sonya Borrero,
STAT,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obligated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligated. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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