obligation

ob·li·ga·tion

O0010700 (ŏb′lĭ-gā′shən)n.1. a. A social, legal, or moral requirement, such as a duty, contract, or promise, that compels one to follow or avoid a particular course of action: Are you able to meet your obligations? I have an obligation to attend their wedding.b. The constraining power of a promise, contract, law, or sense of duty: I felt no obligation to offer my advice.c. Law A document in which a person binds himself or herself to undertake or refrain from doing a particular act.d. A debt instrument, such as a loan, mortgage, or bond.2. The state, fact, or feeling of being indebted to another for a special service or favor received: If they invite us, aren't we under obligation to invite them in return?

ob′li·ga′tion·al adj.

obligation

(ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃən) n1. a moral or legal requirement; duty2. the act of obligating or the state of being obligated3. (Law) law a legally enforceable agreement to perform some act, esp to pay money, for the benefit of another party4. (Law) law a. a written contract containing a penaltyb. an instrument acknowledging indebtedness to secure the repayment of money borrowed5. a person or thing to which one is bound morally or legally6. something owed in return for a service or favour7. a service or favour for which one is indebted ˌobliˈgational adj

ob•li•ga•tion

(ˌɒb lɪˈgeɪ ʃən)

n. 1. something by which a person is bound to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc. 2. something done or to be done for such reasons: to fulfill one's obligations. 3. a binding promise, contract, sense of duty, etc. 4. the act of obligating oneself, as by a promise or contract. 5. a. an agreement enforceable by law. b. a document setting forth such an agreement. 6. any bond, certificate, or the like, as of a government or a corporation, serving as evidence of indebtedness. 7. an indebtedness or amount of indebtedness. 8. a debt of gratitude. 9. the state of being under a debt. [1250–1300; Middle English (< Old French) < Latin] syn: See duty.

obligation

obstriction - An obligation.
convert into, convert to - Convert into means to change from one thing to another; convert to means to switch allegiance, loyalty, or obligation.
delinquent - Literally "completely having left" one's duty or obligation.
likely, liable - Use likely if you mean "probable, expected"; use liable if you mean "bound by law or obligation."

obligation

duty">duty1. 'obligation' and 'duty'

If you say that someone has an obligation to do something or a duty to do something, you mean that they ought to do it, because it is their responsibility. When obligation and duty are used like this, they have the same meaning.

When teachers assign homework, students usually feel an obligation to do it.Perhaps it was his duty to tell the police what he had seen.2. 'duties'

Your duties are the things that you do as part of your job.

She has been given a reasonable time to learn her duties.They also have to carry out many administrative duties.

Be Careful!
Don't refer to the things that you do as part of your job as 'obligations'.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	obligation - the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jrduty, responsibilityjob - the responsibility to do something; "it is their job to print the truth"safekeeping, guardianship, keeping - the responsibility of a guardian or keeper; "he left his car in my keeping"social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group actionmoral obligation - an obligation arising out of considerations of right and wrong; "he did it out of a feeling of moral obligation"noblesse oblige - the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous (often used ironically)burden of proof - the duty of proving a disputed chargecivic duty, civic responsibility - the responsibilities of a citizenfilial duty - duty of a child to its parentsimperative - some duty that is essential and urgentincumbency - a duty that is incumbent upon youlegal duty - acts which the law requires be done or forborneline of duty - all that is normally required in some area of responsibilitywhite man's burden - the supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjectsprerequisite, requirement - something that is required in advance; "Latin was a prerequisite for admission"requirement, demand - required activity; "the requirements of his work affected his health"; "there were many demands on his time"
	2.	obligation - the state of being obligated to do or pay something; "he is under an obligation to finish the job"state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state"financial obligation, indebtedness, liability - an obligation to pay money to another party
	3.	obligation - a personal relation in which one is indebted for a service or favorindebtednesspersonal relation, personal relationship - a relation between persons
	4.	obligation - a written promise to repay a debtcertificate of indebtedness, debt instrumentcash equivalent - a highly liquid debt instrument with maturities of less than three monthscertificate of deposit, CD - a debt instrument issued by a bank; usually pays interestnote of hand, promissory note, note - a promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time; "I had to co-sign his note at the bank"document - a written account of ownership or obligationfloater - a debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to some other interest rate (e.g. the rate paid by T-bills)bond certificate, bond - a certificate of debt (usually interest-bearing or discounted) that is issued by a government or corporation in order to raise money; the issuer is required to pay a fixed sum annually until maturity and then a fixed sum to repay the principal
	5.	obligation - a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to complywritten agreement - a legal document summarizing the agreement between partiesdebt - an obligation to pay or do something

obligation

noun1. duty, pressure, compulsion Students usually feel an obligation to attend lectures.2. task, job, duty, work, calling, business, charge, role, function, mission, province, assignment, pigeon (informal), chore I feel that's my obligation, to do whatever is possible.3. responsibility, duty, liability, accountability, culpability, answerability, accountableness I have an ethical and moral obligation to my client.4. contract, promise, agreement, understanding, bond, debt, commitment, engagement The companies failed to meet their obligation to plant new trees.under an obligation in (someone's) debt, indebted, obliged, grateful, thankful, obligated, beholden, duty-bound, honour-bound, owing a favour I'd rather not be under any obligation to him.without obligation free, for free (informal), for nothing, unpaid, complimentary, free of charge, on the house, without charge, gratuitous, gratis, buckshee (Brit. slang) Our advice and quotations are without obligation.

obligation

noun1. An act or course of action that is demanded of one, as by position, custom, law, or religion:burden, charge, commitment, duty, imperative, must, need, responsibility.2. Something, such as money, owed by one person to another:arrearage, arrears, debt, due, indebtedness, liability.3. A condition of owing something to another:arrearage, arrears, indebtedness, debt, liability.

Translations

义务

oblige

(əˈblaidʒ) verb1. to force to do something. She was obliged to go; The police obliged him to leave.迫使2. to do (someone) a favour or service. Could you oblige me by carrying this, please?劳驾obligation (obliˈgeiʃən) noun a promise or duty. You are under no obligation to buy this.义务obligatory (əˈbligətəri) , ((American) əbligəˈto:ri) adjective compulsory. Attendance at tonight's meeting is obligatory. 必须履行的，强制性的，义务的 oˈbligatorily adverb必须进行地oˈbliging adjective willing to help other people. He'll help you – he's very obliging.乐于助人的oˈbligingly adverb乐于助人地

obligation

Obligation

A generic term for any type of legal duty or liability.

In its original sense, the term obligation was very technical in nature and applied to the responsibility to pay money owed on certain written documents that were executed under seal. Currently obligation is used in reference to anything that an individual is required to do because of a promise, vow, oath, contract, or law. It refers to a legal or moral duty that an individual can be forced to perform or penalized for neglecting to perform.

An absolute obligation is one for which no legal alternative exists since it is an unconditional duty.

A contractual obligation arises as a result of an enforceable promise, agreement, or contract.

An express obligation is spelled out in direct and actual terms, and an implied obligation is inferred indirectly from the surrounding circumstances or from the actions of the individuals involved.

A joint obligation is one that binds two or more people to fulfill whatever is required, and a several obligation requires each of two or more individuals to fulfill the obligation in its entirety by himself or herself.

A moral obligation is binding upon the conscience and is fair but is not necessarily enforceable in law.

A primary obligation is one that must be performed since it is the main purpose of the contract that contains it, whereas a secondary obligation is only incidental to another principal duty or arises only in the event that the main obligation cannot be fulfilled.

A penal obligation is a penalty, such as the obligation to pay extra money if the terms or conditions of an agreement cannot be satisfied.

obligation

n. a legal duty to pay or do something.

obligation

a legal tie, in Roman law divided into contract, delict, quasi-contract and quasi-delict. In modern Western systems that do not have codes modelled on the old Roman law, the division is into contract, tort/delict and restitution. Some commentators have commented upon the need to reserve a fourth miscellaneous category rather than force some obligations into categories to which they are not suited.

OBLIGATION. In its general and most extensive sense, obligation is synonymous with duty. In a more technical meaning, it is a tie which binds us to pay or to do something agreeably to the laws and customs of the country in which the obligation is made. Just. Inst. 1. 3, t. 14. The term obligation also signifies the instrument or writing by which the contract is witnessed. And in another sense, an obligation still subsists, although the civil obligation is said to be a bond containing a penalty, with a condition annexed for the payment of money, performance of covenants or the like; it differs from a bill, which is generally without a penalty or condition, though it may be obligatory. Co. Litt. 172. It is also defined to be a deed whereby a man binds himself under a penalty to do a thing. Com. Dig. Obligation, A. The word obligation, in its most technical signification, ex vi termini, imports a sealed instrument. 2 S. & R. 502; 6 Vern. 40; 1 Blackf. 241; Harp. R. 434; 2 Porter, 19; 1 Bald. 129. See 1 Bell's Com. b. 3, p. 1, c. 1, page 293; Bouv. Inst. Index, h.t.
2. Obligations are divided into imperfect obligations, and perfect obligations.
3. Imperfect obligations are those which are not binding on us as between man and man, and for the non-performance of which we are accountable to God only; such as charity or gratitude. In this sense an obligation is a mere duty. Poth. Ob. art. Prel. n. 1.
4. A perfect obligation is one which gives a right to another to require us to give him something or not to do something. These obligations are either natural or moral, or they are civil.
5. A natural or moral obligation is one which cannot be enforced by action, but which is binding on the party who makes it, in conscience and according to natural justice. As for instance, when the action is barred by the act of limitation, a natural obligation is extinguished. 5 Binn. 573. Although natural obligations cannot be enforced by action, they have the following effect: 1. No suit will lie to recover back what has been paid, or given in compliance with a natural obligation. 1 T. R. 285; 1 Dall. 184, 2. A natural obligation is a sufficient consideration for a new contract. 5 Binn. 33; 2 Binn. 591; Yelv. 41, a, n. 1; Cowp. 290; 2 Bl. Com. 445; 3 B. & P. 249, n.; 2 East, 506; 3 Taunt. 311; 5 Taunt. 36; Yelv. 41, b. note; 3 Pick. 207 Chit. Contr. 10.
6. A civil obligation is one which has a binding operation in law, vinculum juris, and which gives to the obligee the right of enforcing it in a court of justice; in other words, it is an engagement binding on the obligor. 12 Wheat. It:. 318, 337; 4 Wheat. R. 197.
7. Civil obligations are divided into express and implied, pure. and conditional, primitive and secondary, principal and accessory, absolute and alternative, determinate and indeterminate, divisible and indivisible, single and penal, and joint and several. They are also purely personal, purely real, and both real and mixed at the same time.
8. Express or conventional obligations are those by which the obligor binds himself in express terms to perform his obligation.
9. An implied obligation is one which arises by operation of law; as, for example, if I send you daily a loaf of bread, without any express authority, and you make use of it in your family, the law raises an obligation on your part to pay me the value of the bread.
10. A pure or simple obligation is one which is not suspended by any condition, either because it has been contacted without condition, or, having been contracted with one, it has been fulfilled.
11. A conditional obligation is one the execution of which is suspended by a condition which has not been accomplished, and subject to which it has been contracted.
12. A primitive obligation, which in one sense may also be called a principal obligation, is one which is contracted with a design that it should, itself, be the first fulfilled.
13. A secondary obligation is one which is contrasted, and is to be performed, in case the primitive cannot be. For example, if I sell you my house, I bind myself to give a title, but I find I cannot, as the title is in another, then my secondary obligation is to pay you damages for my non-performance of my obligation.
14. A principal obligation is one which is the most important object of the engagement of the contracting parties.
15. An accessory obligation is one which is dependent on the principal obligation; for example, if I sell you a house and lot of ground, the principal obligation on my part is to make you a title for it; the accessory obligation is to deliver you all the title papers which I have relating to it; to take care of the estate till it is delivered to you, and the like.
16. An absolute obligation is one which gives no alternative to the obligor, but he is bound to fulfill it according to his engagement.
17. An alternative obligation is, where a person engages to do, or to give several things in such a manner that the payment of one will acquit him of all; as if A agrees to give B, upon a sufficient consideration, a horse, or one hundred dollars. Poth. Obl. Pt. 2, c. 3, art. 6, No.. 245.
18. In order to constitute an alternative obligation, it is necessary that two or more things should be promised disjunctively; where they are promised conjunctively, there are as many obligations as the things which are enumerated, but where they are in the alternative, though they are all due, there is but one obligation, which may be discharged by the payment of any of them.
19. The choice of performing one of the obligations belongs to the obligor, unless it is expressly agreed that all belong to the creditor. Dougl. 14; 1 Lord Raym. 279; 4 N. S. 167. If one of the acts is prevented by the obligee, or the act of God, the obligor is discharged from both. See 2 Evans' Poth. Ob. 52 to 54; Vin. Ab. Condition, S b; and articles Conjunctive; Disjunctive; Election.
20. A determinate obligation, is one which has for its object a certain thing; as an obligation to deliver a certain horse named Bucephalus. In this case the obligation can only be discharged by delivering the identical horse.
21. An indeterminate obligation is one where the obligor binds himself to deliver one of a certain species; as, to deliver a horse, the delivery of any horse will discharge the obligation.
22. A divisible obligation is one which being a unit may nevertheless be lawfully divided with or without the consent of the parties. It is clear it may be divided by consent, as those who made it, may modify or change it as they please. But some obligations may be divided without the consent of the obligor; as, where a tenant is bound to pay two hundred dollars a year rent to his landlord, the obligation is entire, yet, if his landlord dies and leaves two sons, each will be entitled to one hundred dollars; or if the landlord sells one undivided half of the estate yielding the rent, the purchaser will be entitled to receive one hundred dollars, and the seller the other hundred. See Apportionment.
23. An indivisible obligation is one which is not susceptible of division; as, for example, if I promise to pay you one hundred dollars, you cannot assign one half of this to another, so as to give him a right of action against me for his share. See Divisible.
24. A single obligation is one without any penalty; as, where I simply promise to pay you one hundred dollars. This is called a single bill, when it is under seal.
25. A penal obligation is one to which is attached a penal clause which is to be enforced, if the principal obligation be not performed. In general equity will relieve against a penalty, on the fulfillment of the principal obligation. See Liquidated damages; Penalty.
26. A joint obligation is one by which several obligors promise to the obligee to perform the obligation. When the obligation is only joint and the obligors do not promise separately to fulfill their engagement they must be all sued, if living, to compel the performance; or, if any be dead, the survivors must all be sued. See Parties to actions.
27. A several obligation is one by which one individual, or if there be more, several individuals bind themselves separately to perform the engagement. In this case each obligor may be sued separately, and if one or more be dead, their respective executors may be sued. See Parties to actions.
28. The obligation is, purely personal when the obligor binds himself to do a thing; as if I give my note for one thousand dollars, in that case my person only is bound, for my property is liable for the debt only while it belongs to me, and, if I lawfully transfer it to a third person, it is discharged.
29. The obligation is personal in another sense, as when the obligor binds himself to do a thing, and he provides his heirs and executors shall not be bound; as, for example, when he promises to pay a certain sum yearly during his life, and the payment is to cease at his death.
30. The obligation is real when real estate, and not the person, is liable to the obligee for the performance. A familiar example will explain this: when an estate owes an easement, as a right of way, it is the thing and not the owner who owes the easement. Another instance occurs when a person buys an estate which has been mortgaged, subject to the mortgage, he is not liable for the debt, though his estate is. In these cases the owner has an interest only because he is seised of the servient estate, or the mortgaged premises, and he may discharge himself by abandoning or parting with the property.
31. The obligation is both personal and real when the obligor has bound himself, and pledged his estate for the fulfillment of his obligation.

obligation

ob·li·ga·tion

obligation

ob•li•ga•tion

obligation

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oblige

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Synonyms for obligation

noun duty

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noun task

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noun responsibility

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noun contract

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phrase under an obligation

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phrase without obligation

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Synonyms for obligation

noun an act or course of action that is demanded of one, as by position, custom, law, or religion

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noun something, such as money, owed by one person to another

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noun a condition of owing something to another

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Synonyms for obligation

noun the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

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Related Words

noun the state of being obligated to do or pay something

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noun a personal relation in which one is indebted for a service or favor

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noun a written promise to repay a debt

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Related Words

noun a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply

Related Words