obliging

adjective

oblig·​ing ə-ˈblī-jiŋ How to pronounce obliging (audio)
: willing to do favors : helpful
obligingly adverb
obligingness noun
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

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 Driver and Adelaide Clemens (as Essie) in Hold On to Me Darling Photo: Julieta Cervantes Buzzing around McCrane’s many affairs, both personal and professional, is his pathologically obliging and ever-present assistant, Jimmy. Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024 This is a consequence of complaints about the subservient and obliging female voices of Sky and, earlier, of Siri and Alexa. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 Logan, as Wolverine is also known, turns out to be a surprisingly obliging guest, politely observant of his host’s house rules. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 26 July 2024 In other places, the Cold War’s end radically changed the domestic calculus, compelling belligerents to sue for peace because the flow of weapons had been cut off or obliging autocratic rulers to open political space because the support of external powers had faded. Judd Devermont, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 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.

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of oblige

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of obliging was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near obliging

Cite this Entry

“Obliging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliging. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

obliging

adjective
oblig·​ing
ə-ˈblī-jiŋ
: willing to do favors
obligingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on obliging

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