1
as in duty
something one must do because of prior agreement
their financial obligations keep them from giving to charities as much as they would like
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in debt
something (as money) which is owed
I have to pay off my current obligations before I can buy a new car
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obligation
The monetary obligations changed from year to year, Jarvis said; for 2024, the payment was $36,400 apiece, and Schererville did receive the two towns’ payments.
—
Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Scraping Reddit content is portrayed as undermining Reddit’s obligations to its more than 100 million daily active unique users, including to protect their privacy.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 June 2025
The stakes are high: the Alliance wants to place the city’s homelessness programs into receivership, effectively removing control from Mayor Karen Bass, on the grounds that the city is not meeting its legal obligations for providing such services.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
If another front office sees Holiday’s contract as positive value, the Celtics should strike quickly, but (justifiably!) paying him produced a remaining obligation that is below water.
—Danny Leroux, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligation
Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Scraping Reddit content is portrayed as undermining Reddit’s obligations to its more than 100 million daily active unique users, including to protect their privacy.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 June 2025
The stakes are high: the Alliance wants to place the city’s homelessness programs into receivership, effectively removing control from Mayor Karen Bass, on the grounds that the city is not meeting its legal obligations for providing such services.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
If another front office sees Holiday’s contract as positive value, the Celtics should strike quickly, but (justifiably!) paying him produced a remaining obligation that is below water.
—Danny Leroux, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligation
Noun
-
Orlando rested its best offensive weapons after their return from international duty, opting to save them for the second half instead.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2025
-
No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 June 2025
Noun
-
Here are the 11 other Texas cities with increasing auto loan debt.—
Paris Goodman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2025
-
The average credit card debt per borrower was $6,371 during that time, based on data from TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting companies.—
Sharon Epperson,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Carter will assume responsibility for all of ITV Studios’ unscripted business in the UK, which houses 11 labels.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2025
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Regulatory responsibility is another key consideration.—
Serge Beck,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
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Predicting how technology will change our relationship with terminology is challenging, but the need for precise scientific language, including the names of species, will never go away.—
Nicholas Green,
The Conversation,
3 June 2025
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The bill defines companion chatbots as AI systems capable of meeting the social needs of users.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
Noun
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In other words, educate yourself about how things work before making any real commitment to it.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
-
Hemingway plays Dorothy Stratten, the Playboy Playmate turned actor who was brutally murdered by her ex-husband and manager, played with psychotic commitment by Eric Roberts.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obligation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligation. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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