different between oblige vs obliger

English

Etymology

From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligo, obligare, from ob- + ligo. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??bla?d?/
• Rhymes: -a?d?

Verb

oblige (third-person singular simple present obliges, present participle obliging, simple past and past participle obliged)

1. (transitive) To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.

   I am obliged to report to the police station every week.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To do (someone) a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation).

   He obliged me by not parking his car in the drive.

   The singer obliged with another song.
3. (intransitive) To be indebted to someone.

   I am obliged to you for your recent help.

Usage notes

Aside from in American English and Scottish, "obliged" has largely replaced "obligate" by the 20th century, the latter being more common in the 17th through 19th centuries.

Derived terms

• disoblige

Related terms

• much obliged
• noblesse oblige
• obligate
• obligation
• obligatory
• obligee
• obligor

Translations

References

Anagrams

• big ole, biogel, globie

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?.bli?/

Verb

oblige

1. first-person singular present indicative of obliger
2. third-person singular present indicative of obliger
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of obliger
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of obliger
5. second-person singular imperative of obliger

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [o?blid??e]

Verb

oblige

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of obliga
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of obliga

English

Etymology

oblige +? -er

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??bla?d??(?)/

Noun

obliger (plural obligers)

1. One who, or that which, obliges.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir H. Wotton to this entry?)

Anagrams

• oilberg

French

Etymology

From Middle French obliger, from Old French obligier, borrowed from Latin oblig?re, present active infinitive of oblig?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?.bli.?e/
• Homophones: obligé, obligeai

Verb

obliger

1. (transitive) to oblige, to require, to compel, to force someone (to do something: (transitive with à))

   Synonyms: contraindre, forcer

2. (Louisiana) to help, to aid
3. (passive) (transitive with de) to have to

   Synonym: devoir

Conjugation

This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written oblige- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a “soft” /?/ and not a “hard” /?/). This spelling-change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.

Related terms

• obligation

Further reading

• “obliger” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Verb

obliger

1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of oblig?

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French obligier, from Latin oblig?re, present active infinitive of oblig?.

Verb

obliger

1. (transitive) to oblige

Conjugation

• As parler except an extra e is inserted after the final g before a and o.
• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

Descendants

• French: obliger