OBLIGATED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

obligated 1 of 2

adjective

as in obliged

being under obligation for a favor or gift we have been their guests so many times that we feel obligated to return their hospitality

Synonyms & Similar Words

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obligated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of obligate

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obligated

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

Those who do not currently drink tea should not feel obligated to start. — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Twisted Teens joked they were contractually obligated to write a grunge song after signing to Sub Pop, prompting Billiard to claim that modifying any Beatles chord progression to stay major instead of going minor gets the job done. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 The mayor’s decision to stop her, the judge found, violated constitutional protections that government officials were already obligated to respect. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 The foreign customer is funding the entire amount, with the money obligated at the time of the award. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 His lawyers, making the motion for dismissal, argued that Kuznietsov was still an active duty soldier and as such was obligated by Ukrainian law not to speak for reasons of secrecy linked to national security. — Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026 The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case exploring the extent to which companies from an array of sectors are obligated to protect the privacy of customers’ video-viewing data. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Trump defended Marshall in a lengthy Truth Social post, claiming he was legally obligated to pursue the debts. — Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026 In September 2024, activists demanded that Detroit police release bodycam footage of the shooting, which police initially said they were not obligated to release because an officer had not fired. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligated

Adjective

Musically, the band is probably most indebted to post-punk, with a whiff of New Wave and electronica.

— Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
The stock has come under pressure this week as investors brace for higher interest rates that might impact the highly indebted company.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of indebted

Verb

Doncic said there has always been something in him that compelled him to establish connections with fans.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
From the classic ‘Whodunit’ style to thrilling neonoirs, mystery novels have compelled readers to solve cases alongside detectives like Hercule Poirot.

— Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of compelled

Adjective

On Monday morning, Sundin was grateful the church building avoided major structural damage, because the vehicle narrowly missed a column.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was grateful to the first lady.

— BEN FINLEY, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of grateful

Verb

Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.

— Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

Returning to the table, Walzer said that a legal scholar had recently used the jus ex bello doctrine in an op-ed to argue that the war had become so costly to Ukrainians that their government was now obliged to make concessions to stop the fighting.

— Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
That should come as no surprise; NASA is, after all, part of the executive branch, and the agency is obliged to abide by executive orders.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obliged

Verb

During a retrial in 2019, one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their previous testimony implicating Bennett was coerced by a then-homicide detective.

— CBS Philadelphia, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Her confession to murdering her 2-year-old daughter was coerced, and the district attorney who prosecuted her case was later convicted of bribery, extortion and other crimes.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of coerced

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“Obligated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligated. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of obligated

adjective

verb

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