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.