obligation

[ob-li-gey-shuhn] / ˌɒb lɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

NOUN

responsibility

Synonyms

STRONGEST

accountability agreement bond burden commitment constraint contract debt duty liability necessity need promise requirement right trust understanding

STRONG

IOU business call cause charge chit committal compulsion conscience debit devoir dues engagement must occasion onus part place restraint

WEAK

accountableness due bill ought

Antonyms

STRONGEST

asset disagreement disbelief irresponsibility misunderstanding

STRONG

freedom unemployment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Medical societies have an obligation to follow the science.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

The Gulf state's energy minister said being a country with no obligation under the groups would provide more flexibility.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Public agencies in California are required to conduct community outreach, and most take that obligation seriously.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

They represent the United States, and their obligation, by statute, by tradition, and by the ethical rules that govern every attorney who stands in a federal courtroom, is to seek justice.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

By “duty,” Jefferson meant his obligation to orchestrate the opposition to Adams’s presidency.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Vocabulary lists containing obligation

The Diary of Anne Frank

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The Things They Carried

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Freak the Mighty

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