Obligate Meaning
/ˈɒb.lɪˌɡeɪt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo bind, compel, constrain, or oblige by a social, legal, or moral tie.
verbTo cause to be grateful or indebted; to oblige.
Sentence Examples
Many methanogenic Archaea are obligate anaerobes.
You're an obligate carnivore! You don't want my salad, cat!
CEFR Practice Quiz
The signed contract will ____ the company to pay for all accident damages.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Legal contracts often ____ both parties to fulfill specific duties within a set timeframe.
Word Origin & History
First attested in 1533; borrowed from Latin obligātus, perfect passive participle of obligō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of oblige, taken through French.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2023 December 27, Richard Foster, “New rail freight terminal leads the way”, in RAIL, number 999, page 39:
"[A]nalysis of the chemical composition of their bones reveals that they were obligate carnivores."
— 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: The First 100 Million Years, Penguin, published 2019, page 171:
"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."
— 2009, C. Kenneth Dodd Jr., Amphibian Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques, page 304:
"Unlike for phagotrophic flagellates, bacteria serve as a facultative rather than an obligate food source for crustacean zooplankton."
— 2012, Ulrich Sommer, Plankton Ecology: Succession in Plankton Communities, page 351:
"Light is the obligate energy source for the phototrophic microbes constructing these benthic mats"
— 2013, K.C. Marshall, editor, Advances in Microbial Ecology, volume 11, page 472:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The signed contract will ____ the company to pay for all accident damages.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Legal contracts often ____ both parties to fulfill specific duties within a set timeframe.