obliging

1 of 2

adjective

oblig·ing ə-ˈblī-jiŋ

Synonyms of obliging

: willing to do favors : helpful

obligingly adverb

obligingness noun

obliging

2 of 2

present participle of oblige

Synonyms of obliging

Relevance

Adjective

friendly

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Choose the Right Synonym for obliging

amiable, good-natured, obliging, complaisant mean having the desire or disposition to please.

amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with.

an amiable teacher not easily annoyed

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

obliging stresses a friendly readiness to be helpful.

our obliging innkeeper found us a bigger room

complaisant often implies passivity or a yielding to others because of weakness.

was too complaisant to protest a decision he thought unfair

Examples of obliging in a Sentence

Adjective An obliging passerby helped her with her packages. an obliging concierge used her pull to get us reservations at the town's hottest restaurant

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adjective

Those coming back from Tommy John surgery must be monitored more closely than traditional starters, and the Astros are obliging. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The movie trots along like an obliging corgi pup; TV director Gregor and DP Zac Nicholson give it a gilded mark of quality. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026 Adam seems confused by the request, while Ingeborg is perfectly obliging. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 The weather is obliging, hanging on to a breezy 73 degrees with a light overcast. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for obliging

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of oblige

First Known Use

Adjective

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of obliging was in 1632

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

obliger

obliging

obligingly

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Obliging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliging. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

obliging

adjective

oblig·ing

ə-ˈblī-jiŋ

: willing to do favors

obligingly adverb

obliging

adjective

Synonyms of obliging

Examples of obliging in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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