obligation

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; ; - John D.Rockefeller Jr
  2. noun the state of being obligated to do or pay something
  3. noun a personal relation in which one is indebted for a service or favor

Etymology

From Middle English obligacioun, from Old French obligacion, from Latin obligatio, obligationem, from obligatum (past participle of obligare), from ob- (“to”) + ligare (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

duty, responsibility

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