obligation

The word “obligation” means a duty or requirement to do something, often because of a promise, law, or moral sense. In plain terms, something you have to do because of duty, a promise, or a rule.

“Obligation” is pronounced ob-lih-GAY-shn (/ˌɑ.blɪˈɡeɪ.ʃn̩/ in IPA).

Here is “obligation” used in a sentence: “Parents have an obligation to care for their children.”

“Obligation” is a noun.

The word “obligation” comes from Latin. From Latin obligatio, from obligare ("to bind"), from ob- + ligare ("to bind, tie").

“Obligation” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

The two overlap, but duty often points to what is right because of one's role or conscience — a soldier's duty, a parental duty — while obligation often points to a requirement imposed from outside by a promise, contract, or law. You feel a duty; you are typically under an obligation.

A responsibility is a broad state of being accountable for someone or something, while an obligation is a specific requirement to act, arising from a promise, law, or moral sense. Raising a child is a responsibility; paying child support on time is an obligation.

You fulfill, meet, honor, or discharge an obligation, and you can also incur or take on one. English also says you are 'under an obligation' to do something; 'discharge' is the most formal of the set and is common in legal writing.