Obligation Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of OBLIGATION

1

:

something that you must do because of a law, rule, promise, etc.

[count]

• The firm must fulfill its obligations under the contract. = The firm must fulfill its contractual obligations.
• legal/financial/constitutional obligations
• Both landlord and tenant should know their rights and obligations. [=_responsibilities_]

[noncount]

• You can try the machine for free without obligation. [=without being required to buy it or to do anything else]
• You are not under any obligation to stay. [=you are not required to stay]
• You're under no (legal) obligation to return the money. [=there is no law that requires you to return the money; you do not have to return the money]

2

:

something that you must do because it is morally right

[count]

• family/social obligations
• She believes that all people have a moral obligation to defend human rights.
• He argues that people in a community have certain obligations to each other.
• She failed to fulfill her obligations as a parent.

[noncount]

• We visited them out of a sense of obligation. [=a feeling that it was the right thing to do]