OBLIGATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does obligate mean? 

• OBLIGATE (adjective)
  The adjective OBLIGATE has 1 sense:

1. restricted to a particular condition of life

  Familiarity information: OBLIGATE used as an adjective is very rare.

• OBLIGATE (verb)
  The verb OBLIGATE has 3 senses:

1. force somebody to do something

2. commit in order to fulfill an obligation

3. bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted

  Familiarity information: OBLIGATE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OBLIGATE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Restricted to a particular condition of life

Context example:

an obligate anaerobe can survive only in the absence of oxygen

Domain category:

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

Antonym:

facultative (able to exist under more than one set of conditions)

• OBLIGATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they obligate    ... he / she / it obligates   
Past simple: obligated   
Past participle: obligated   
-ing form: obligating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Force somebody to do something

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

compel; obligate; oblige

Context example:

We compel all students to fill out this form

Hypernyms (to "obligate" is one way to...):

cause; get; have; induce; make; stimulate (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

Cause:

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "obligate"):

force; thrust (impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably)

walk (make walk)

coerce; force; hale; pressure; squeeze (to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means)

clamor (compel someone to do something by insistent clamoring)

condemn (compel or force into a particular state or activity)

shame (compel through a sense of shame)

apply; enforce; implement (ensure observance of laws and rules)

constrain; enforce; impose (compel to behave in a certain way)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They obligate him to write the letter

Derivation:

obligation (the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Commit in order to fulfill an obligation

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

obligate money

Hypernyms (to "obligate" is one way to...):

commit; confide; entrust; intrust; trust (confer a trust upon)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

obligation (the state of being obligated to do or pay something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

bind; hold; obligate; oblige

Context example:

I'll hold you by your promise

Hypernyms (to "obligate" is one way to...):

relate (have or establish a relationship to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "obligate"):

pledge (bind or secure by a pledge)

article (bind by a contract; especially for a training period)

indent; indenture (bind by or as if by indentures, as of an apprentice or servant)

tie down (restrain from independence by an obligation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

obligation (a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply)

obligation (the state of being obligated to do or pay something)

 Context examples 

A phylum of bacteria whose members are obligate intracellular pathogens.

(Chlamydiae, NCI Thesaurus)

A genus of Gram-negative, acidophilic, rod-shaped, obligate intracellular bacteria in the phylum Proteobacteria.

(Coxiella, NCI Thesaurus)

A taxonomic order of wingless insects that are obligate ectoparasites of birds and mammals.

(Lice, NCI Thesaurus)

A genus of gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacteria in the Firmicutes phylum capable of producing endospores.

(Clostridium, NCI Thesaurus)

Health care providers are obligated to provide patients with the standard of care.

(Best practice, NCI Dictionary)

An obligate anaerobic, weakly Gram-positive species of mycobacterium that is the cause of most cases of tuberculosis.

(Mycobacterium tuberculosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Spores of the bacterial strain Clostridium novyi-NT, the attenuated obligate anaerobic C. novyi, with potential immunostimulating, bacteriolytic, and antineoplastic activities.

(Clostridium Novyi-NT Spores, NCI Thesaurus)

A genus of bacteria within the phylum Firmicutes consisting of gram-positive bacilli that are either obligate or facultative aerobes, and test positive for the enzyme catalase.

(Bacillus, NCI Thesaurus)

Although its mechanism of action is not fully elucidated, un-ionized metronidazole is readily taken up by obligate anaerobic organisms and is subsequently reduced by low-redox potential electron-transport proteins to an active, intermediate product.

(Metronidazole, NCI Thesaurus)

I believe Mrs Charles is not quite pleased with my not inviting them oftener; but you know it is very bad to have children with one that one is obligated to be checking every moment; don't do this, and don't do that; or that one can only keep in tolerable order by more cake than is good for them.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)