obliging 1 of 2

as in friendly
willing to do a favor an obliging concierge used her pull to get us reservations at the town's hottest restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

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obliging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of oblige

Synonym Chooser

How is the word obliging distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of obliging are amiable, complaisant, and good-natured. While all these words mean "having the desire or disposition to please," obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.

our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

When is it sensible to use amiable instead of obliging?

The words amiable and obliging can be used in similar contexts, but amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with.

an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

When might complaisant be a better fit than obliging?

While in some cases nearly identical to obliging, complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.

was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

In what contexts can good-natured take the place of obliging?

The meanings of good-natured and obliging largely overlap; however, good-natured implies cheerfulness or helpfulness and sometimes a willingness to be imposed upon.

a good-natured girl who was always willing to pitch in

Examples of obliging in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Also, this year or next, the Brazilian government may well approve a quota obliging SVOD streaming services to invest in Brazilian independent production. John Hopewell, Variety, 18 June 2024 Beijing wants to move ahead with a broader bilateral relationship with New Delhi, regardless of the status of their border dispute, but the latter has not been obliging. Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2023 One obliging couple captured a video, which Ortega posted to TikTok. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Years of obliging service to Trump at his weakest moments—voicing steadfast support for him during his two impeachments, offering legal arguments that bolstered his stubborn denial of his 2020 defeat—also paid off for Johnson. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for obliging 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obliging.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near obliging

Cite this Entry

“Obliging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliging. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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