Obligation and Play

Obligation

Obligation noun - Something one must do because of prior agreement.

Play is an antonym for obligation.

Play

Play noun - Activity engaged in to amuse oneself.
Usage example: it's such a delight to watch the children in their play

Obligation is an antonym for play.

How words are described

original original obligation original play
legal legal obligation legal play
actual actual obligation actual play
entire entire obligation entire play
Other adjectives: real, great, traditional, general.

Both words in one sentence

  • Wrestling / Stephanie McMahon Hoist By Her Own Petard: A recurring problem of hers is her tendency to forget that after she fires somebody after kicking them around for months, they're under no obligation to play nice anymore.
  • In The Marriage of Figaro (both the Mozart opera and the original Beaumarchais play), Marcellina is determined to make Figaro follow through on a contractual obligation to marry her.
  • Lawful Neutral Hamlet. Much of the problems in the play are caused by his adherence to what he believes is God's law; while he doesn't particularly like the idea of killing people, he still spends the play trying to kill Claudius because he considers it his obligation to avenge his father's death.
Cite this Source
Play and Obligation. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 08, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/obligation/play
Obligation & Play. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/obligation/play>.
Play or Obligation. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/obligation/play.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "obligation" and "play" have occurred on timeline