obligation
part of speech
noun (an obligation, obligations)
meaning for a pupil
1) An obligation is something you must do because a rule, a promise or your duty says so. tree →
2) An obligation is the feeling that you ought to do something, for example to help someone who helped you. tree →
3) (formal) In official writing, an obligation is a duty set by law or by a contract. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life the word tells the reader that a person is not free to choose: they have to do something. It appears in lessons about rights and responsibilities, rules at school and citizenship. Phrases: «under an obligation», «no obligation» (you do not have to buy or agree; common in shop adverts), «feel an obligation», «a sense of obligation», «meet your obligations».
examples
- Parents have an obligation to keep their children safe. tree →
- You are under no obligation to buy anything. tree →
- She felt an obligation to help her neighbour after he fixed her bike. tree →
- Try the game free, no obligation. tree →
- Going to school is a legal obligation for children. tree →
- He helped out of a sense of obligation, not because he wanted to. tree →
- (formal) The tenant shall meet all obligations set out in this agreement. tree →
- Keeping a promise is an obligation. tree →
- Better poverty without a care than wealth with its many obligations. tree →
note
Countable noun: obligations. Related verb «oblige» (be obliged to = have to) and adjective «obligatory» (= compulsory). «No obligation» in adverts means you can say no for free, but always read the small print. Do not confuse with «option» (something you may choose).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «obligation» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.