JISUPOSTEnglish
ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Obligate

/ˈɒb.lɪˌɡeɪt/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To bind, compel, constrain, or oblige by a social, legal, or moral tie..

Definitions by Sense

  1. (transitive) To bind, compel, constrain, or oblige by a social, legal, or moral tie.
  2. (transitive, Canada, US, Scotland) To cause to be grateful or indebted; to oblige.
  3. (transitive, Canada, US, Scotland) To commit (money, for example) in order to fulfill an obligation.
  4. (biology) Requiring a (specified) way of life, habitat, etc.
  5. Indispensable; essential; necessary; obligatory; mandatory; unavoidably invoked.
  6. (obsolete) Bound by oath, law or duty.
  7. (biology) An obligate organism.

Example Sentences

That progress has taken over ten years and £20 million to bring to fruition. But, as Mands explains, the journey has been one that HSG has been almost obligated to undertake. "First and foremost, this is an environmental project," she says.
[A]nalysis of the chemical composition of their bones reveals that they were obligate carnivores.
In addition to being the obligate food source for monarch caterpillars, milkweeds also provide abundant nectar for the adult butterflies.
In some languages such signaling is optional, whereas in others it is obligate.
Aquatic sites constitute obligate habitat for some species, and are critical breeding habitat for species with complex life cycles involving aquatic egg or larval development.
Unlike for phagotrophic flagellates, bacteria serve as a facultative rather than an obligate food source for crustacean zooplankton.
Light is the obligate energy source for the phototrophic microbes constructing these benthic mats
The Law sayith, Mack a mendis for thy synne. The Father of Heaven is wraith wyth thee. Quhair is thy rychteousnes, goodnes, and satisfactioun ? Thou art bound and obligat unto me, [to] the devill, and [to] hell.

Synonyms for obligate

also: force: Synonymsbindingcompulsatorycompulsorydecretoryforcedimperativeinvoluntarymandatorynonoptionalobligatoryrequiredunbewisedunvoluntarycompelcompelledconstrainedobligebound

Antonyms for obligate

discretionaryelectivefacultativefreenoncompulsorynonmandatorynonobligatenonobligatorynonrequirednonrequisiteoptionaloptionaryunrequiredvolitionalvoluntary

Related Words

boundobligecompelconstrainedcompelledbindingobligatorymandatorycommitcompulsoryrequirehireinitiateimposecoerceforceengageincurbindaerobe

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Add this word and synonyms to Word SearchSynonyms and antonymsBetter words by context

Frequently Asked Questions

What does obligate mean?

Obligate means (transitive) To bind, compel, constrain, or oblige by a social, legal, or moral tie..

What is a synonym for obligate?

Common synonyms include also: force: Synonyms, binding, compulsatory, compulsory.

What is the opposite of obligate?

Possible antonyms include discretionary, elective, facultative, free.

How do you use obligate in a sentence?

That progress has taken over ten years and £20 million to bring to fruition. But, as Mands explains, the journey has been one that HSG has been almost obligated to undertake. "First and foremost, this is an environmental project," she says.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.