Obliged

Obliged is an adjective and the past participle of the verb oblige. It has two broad senses. First, it means bound by duty, necessity, or the terms of a rule or contract. A company may be obliged to disclose information; a citizen may feel obliged to report a hazard. In this sense, obligations can be legal, moral, or social.

Second, obliged can express gratitude or indebtedness, typically in phrases such as I am much obliged or We are obliged to you for your help. In these uses, the word conveys appreciation rather than obligation. This sense is common in formal or polite speech, especially in British English, though it appears in American usage as well.

Grammatical notes: when the sense is duty or constraint, the construction is obliged to do something, obliged by a rule, or obliged under a contract. When expressing gratitude, the phrase is often I am much obliged, or We were much obliged to you, without implying a new duty.

Etymology and history: obliged derives from Old French obliger, from Latin obligare, meaning to bind or attach by obligation. Over time, its usage broadened from strict legal or moral binding to include the idiomatic expression of thanks.

See also: obligation, obligatory, oblige, obligor, obligee.