as in friendly
willing to do a favor
an obliging concierge used her pull to get us reservations at the town's hottest restaurant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in accommodating
to do a service or favor for
I would appreciate it greatly if you could oblige me by bringing a dessert to the party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in coercing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
I know you're in a hurry, but you can't oblige me to drive any faster than the speed limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of obliging
Rana Mitter, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
The obliging royalty would lift their hems and give the crowd a glimpse of their sneakers and cowboy boots.
—Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obliging
Adjective
To be sure, China may never become the kind of country many Western optimists imagined in the early post–Cold War decades: a gradually more liberal and obliging member of the U.S.-led international order.
—Rana Mitter, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
The obliging royalty would lift their hems and give the crowd a glimpse of their sneakers and cowboy boots.
—Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
Vance and his family reportedly stayed in a lavish Georgian manor owned by a light-bulb magnate, obliging me to ask whose bright idea that was.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obliging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliging
Adjective
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In warm weather that means competitive golf tournaments, friendly tennis clinics, outdoor summer concerts, and a calendar full of signature community events.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
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Wear them with a simple long-sleeve top or T-shirt for a casual look, or add a blazer and heels for an office-friendly outfit.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Together, the two homes contain nine bedrooms and form a sprawling Ibizan retreat capable of comfortably accommodating lots of family and friends.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
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New Balance has launched a new program aimed at accommodating consumers with disabilities, limb loss or foot size discrepancies.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In one recent case, a 22-year-old man used Discord to prey on victims as young as 12 years old, coercing them into creating explicit content.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
21 Oct. 2025
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Employers would be prohibited from pressuring or coercing anyone into signing such a waiver.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nevertheless, Ed still idolized Augusta and would grow to become obsessed with appeasing her, according to Biography.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
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So far, efforts at appeasing the MAGA outrage machine have only backfired.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather than forcing lopsided trade deals on allies and friends, Washington would do better to organize a common message to Chinese leaders that a business model that fuels deflation at home and anger abroad is untenable.—
Christopher Smart,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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In the fourth quarter, Butler continued to dice up Los Angeles, his off-the-dribble bounce pass assist to Draymond Green pushing the lead to 20 with six minutes left and forcing a timeout.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Startups like NoamAI have introduced support systems powered by AI aimed at assisting the towers.—
Eoin Higgins,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
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That friend is alleged to have sold the information to others, and those others placed bets on the prop bet of Terry scoring under, assisting under, shooting under the line set by various bet houses.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Even prior to Preservé’s arrival, the Motiva implants had begun fueling a shift in the way some surgeons perform breast augmentation, compelling them to more frequently place implants on top of the chest muscle instead of underneath it, as has been customary for decades.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
15 Oct. 2025
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And yet, today, a few pieces of evidence are compelling us to reconsider this scenario.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With just 24 hours before a party, 31-year-old Maïlys Lecaillier from Pas-de-Calais transformed everyday items into a hilariously lifelike ostrich costume that’s now delighting TikTok.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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Gen Alpha’s latest viral catchphrase is baffling adults and delighting kids across the country.—
Kimberly Richardson,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obliging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliging. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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