OBLIGATION • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Obligation

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/ˌɑbləgˈeɪʃən/ Listen

noun

Obligation n.

1.

The act of obligating.

2.

That which obligates or constrains; the binding power of a promise, contract, oath, or vow, or of law; that which constitutes legal or moral duty. "A tender conscience is a stronger obligation than a proson."

3.

Any act by which a person becomes bound to do something to or for another, or to forbear something; external duties imposed by law, promise, or contract, by the relations of society, or by courtesy, kindness, etc. "Every man has obligations which belong to his station. Duties extend beyond obligation, and direct the affections, desires, and intentions, as well as the actions."

4.

The state of being obligated or bound; the state of being indebted for an act of favor or kindness; often used with under to indicate being in that state; as, to place others under obligations to one.

5.

(Law) A bond with a condition annexed, and a penalty for nonfulfillment. In a larger sense, it is an acknowledgment of a duty to pay a certain sum or do a certain things.

Days of obligation. See under Day.

under obligation, under an obligation. in a state of obligation (4).

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Etymology of 'Obligation'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Obligation" Quotes from Famous Books

... for life, and lacked any provision for compensation. Service on the court was, therefore, considered an honorable obligation of those whose position and means permitted them to perform it. That this was considered a serious and active responsibility was indicated by the fact that justices could be fined for non-attendance at court.[45] Through the colonial period and well after the War ...

— The Fairfax County Courthouse • Ross D. Netherton

... amenities, but the far stronger ties of patriotism and loyalty, so ably defined in the opening article of the North Pacific. Loyalty is indeed something more than fidelity to one's country and Government, based upon a sense of interest or of obligation: it is fidelity based ...

— The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863 - Devoted to Literature and National Policy • Various

... most imperative duty of parents is to give their children the best attainable preparation for life, no matter at what sacrifice to themselves. There are hosts of fathers and mothers who recognize this obligation but do not know how to discharge it; who are eager to give their children the most wholesome conditions, but do not know how to secure them; who are especially anxious that their children should start early and start right on that highway of education ...

— Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories - The Young Folks Treasury, Volume 1 • Various

... your preserver, ma'am," said one of the villagers, pushing Gabriel forward. Mrs. Simcoe actually smiled. She put out her hand to him kindly; and Hope, with grave Sweetness, told him how great was their obligation. The boy bowed and looked ...

— Trumps • George William Curtis

... towards the same end of rooting out the traffic. But the prime need is to raise the level of individual morality; and, moreover, to encourage early marriages, the single standard of sex-morality, and a strict sense of reciprocal conjugal obligation. The women who preach late marriages are by just so much making it difficult to better the ...

— Theodore Roosevelt - An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt • Theodore Roosevelt

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