Synonyms of obligation

obligation

noun

ˌä-blə-ˈgā-shən 

1

as in duty

something one must do because of prior agreement

their financial obligations keep them from giving to charities as much as they would like

Synonyms & Similar Words

• duty
• responsibility
• need
• commitment
• promise
• burden
• vow
• requirement
• pledge
• imperative
• office
• constraint
• do
• charge
• pact
• payment
• devoir
• contract
• oath
• incumbency
• debt
• arrangement
• must
• compulsion
• covenant
• trust
• word
• tribute
• restraint
• setup
• prearrangement
• reservation
• coercion
• compact
• force
• troth
• engagement
• appointment
• duress
• onus

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relief
• discharge
• exemption
• grace
• waiver
• release
• stay
• ease
• postponement
• choice
• option
• alternative
• selection
• preference
• loophole
• pick

2

as in debt

something (as money) which is owed

I have to pay off my current obligations before I can buy a new car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• debt
• indebtedness
• score
• liability
• arrears
• arrearage
• bankruptcy
• bond
• default
• debit
• delinquency
• insolvency
• embarrassment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repayment
• asset
• quittance
• quietus

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of obligation

February 19 – March 20 Shared money, trust, or emotional obligations may need clearer limits today. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026

Pisces February 19 – March 20 Shared money, trust, or emotional obligations may need clearer limits today. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 4 Oct. 2026

Every Broadway season has one show that feels less like a play and more like a moral obligation. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026

This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable and that at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026