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Grateful vs Obliged - What's the difference?

grateful | obliged |

As adjectives the difference between grateful and obliged

is that grateful is showing appreciation, being thankful while obliged is under an obligation to do something for someone.

As a verb obliged is

past tense of oblige.

grateful

English

(Gratitude)

Alternative forms

* gratefull (archaic)

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Showing appreciation, being thankful.
    • I'm grateful that you helped me out.
    I'm grateful to you for helping me out
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 5 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Carroll thought he had equalised with his header against the bar with eight minutes left. Liverpool claimed the ball had cross the line and Chelsea were grateful for a miraculous intervention from Cech to turn his effort on to the woodwork.}}
  • Recognizing the importance of a source of pleasure.
  • Pleasing, welcome.
  • * Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Skeleton in Armor :
    • Fell I upon my spear, / Oh, death was grateful !
  • * Herman Melville, Omoo
    • grateful underfoot was the damp and slightly yielding beach, from which the waves seemed just retired.

    Synonyms

    * thankful * appreciative

    Antonyms

    * ungrateful

    Derived terms

    * gratefulness

    Related terms

    * gratitude

    External links

    * * *

    obliged

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Under an obligation to do something for someone.
  • Indebted because of a favor done.

    • Usage notes

    In sense “under obligation”, synonymous with obligated, though the latter is only used in American English and some dialects such as Scottish,Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage,'' p. 675 not standard British.''The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1996) In dialects where both obliged and (term) are used, there is no standard distinction drawn, though individuals may distinguish nuance or use idiosyncratically. In technical discussions, particularly legal ones such as (The Concept of Law) by (1961), the words may carry different meanings, such as obligations inherent to a relationship versus ones externally imposed.

    Synonyms

    * (under obligation) obligated

    References

    Verb

    (head)
  • (oblige)

    • Statistics

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