Desobrigados

Desobrigados is the plural of desobrigado, a Portuguese adjective used to describe people who have been released from an obligation or requirement. In general, someone described as desobrigado has had a duty, task, or commitment canceled, suspended, or deemed unnecessary by an authority, and therefore no longer bears the obligation.

Etymology and usage: The term comes from des- (a prefix indicating reversal) and obrigar (to obligate), with desobrigado meaning “released from obligation.” It is used primarily in formal or bureaucratic language to denote relief from duties in administrative or legal contexts.

Contexts: In legal and administrative settings, desobrigação or the status of desobrigado can occur when a competent authority grants an exemption or dispensation, resulting in someone being described as desobrigado. In military terms, exemptions from service create desobrigados; similarly, individuals may be desobrigados from other mandatory duties (for example, civil or judicial obligations) due to age, health, or other qualifying conditions. In contractual or financial contexts, a party may be desobrigado from certain duties if the obligation is fulfilled, rescinded, or annulled.

Usage and nuance: The term is relatively formal and more common in bureaucratic discourse than in everyday speech. Synonyms include isento, dispensado, and liberado; related concepts include obrigação (obligation) and dispensa (exemption). Desobrigados thus denotes a shift from a state of obligation to a released or exempt status within legal or administrative frameworks.