All 42 Uses of
oblige
in
Pride and Prejudice
- They attacked him in various ways—with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises; but he eluded the skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas.
p. 11.2obliged = required (to do something)
- Mr. Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day, and, consequently, unable to accept the honour of their invitation, etc.
p. 11.9 *
- Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances; and during part of that time, Mr. Darcy had been standing near enough for her to hear a conversation between him and Mr. Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes, to press his friend to join it.
p. 13.3
- She was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr. Darcy.
p. 15.5
- By nature inoffensive, friendly, and obliging, his presentation at St. James's had made him courteous.
p. 19.6obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
- You excel so much in the dance, Miss Eliza, that it is cruel to deny me the happiness of seeing you; and though this gentleman dislikes the amusement in general, he can have no objection, I am sure, to oblige us for one half-hour.
p. 27.5oblige = grant a favor
- Jane was therefore obliged to go on horseback, and her mother attended her to the door with many cheerful prognostics of a bad day.
p. 31.9obliged = required (to do something)
- Miss Bingley offered her the carriage, and she only wanted a little pressing to accept it, when Jane testified such concern in parting with her, that Miss Bingley was obliged to convert the offer of the chaise to an invitation to remain at Netherfield for the present.
p. 34.8
- When the card-tables were placed, he had the opportunity of obliging her in turn, by sitting down to whist.
p. 75.7obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
- Do clear them too, or we shall be obliged to think ill of somebody.
p. 84.7obliged = required (to do something)
- ...who told them that Wickham had been obliged to go to town on business the day before, and was not yet returned;
p. 88.5
- They stood for some time without speaking a word; and she began to imagine that their silence was to last through the two dances, and at first was resolved not to break it; till suddenly fancying that it would be the greater punishment to her partner to oblige him to talk, she made some slight observation on the dance.†
p. 90.1oblige = grant a favor
- It was, moreover, such a promising thing for her younger daughters, as Jane's marrying so greatly must throw them in the way of other rich men; and lastly, it was so pleasant at her time of life to be able to consign her single daughters to the care of their sister, that she might not be obliged to go into company more than she liked.
p. 97.4obliged = required (to do something)
- I am sure we owe him no such particular civility as to be obliged to say nothing he may not like to hear.
p. 97.8
- But not long was the interval of tranquillity; for, when supper was over, singing was talked of, and she had the mortification of seeing Mary, after very little entreaty, preparing to oblige the company.
p. 98.3oblige = grant a favor
- "If I," said Mr. Collins, "were so fortunate as to be able to sing, I should have great pleasure, I am sure, in obliging the company with an air; for I consider music as a very innocent diversion, and perfectly compatible with the profession of a clergyman."
p. 99.0obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
- Bingley was all grateful pleasure, and he readily engaged for taking the earliest opportunity of waiting on her, after his return from London, whither he was obliged to go the next day for a short time.
p. 101.4obliged = required (to do something)
- When my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that the business which took him to London might be concluded in three or four days; but as we are certain it cannot be so, and at the same time convinced that when Charles gets to town he will be in no hurry to leave it again, we have determined on following him thither, that he may not be obliged to spend his vacant hours in a comfortless hotel.
p. 115.6
- "You must decide for yourself," said Elizabeth; "and if, upon mature deliberation, you find that the misery of disobliging his two sisters is more than equivalent to the happiness of being his wife, I advise you by all means to refuse him."†
p. 117.6disobliging = ignoring someone's wishes or causing inconvenience or discomfortstandard prefix: The prefix "dis-" in disobliging reverses the meaning of obliging. This is the same pattern as seen in words like disagree, disconnect, and disappear.
- "It keeps him in good humour," said she, "and I am more obliged to you than I can express."
p. 119.1obliged = grateful or indebted
- "My dear sir," replied Mr. Collins, "I am particularly obliged to you for this friendly caution, and you may depend upon my not taking so material a step without her ladyship's concurrence."
p. 121.8
- To oblige you, I would try to believe almost anything, but no one else could be benefited by such a belief as this; for were I persuaded that Charlotte had any regard for him, I should only think worse of her understanding than I now do of her heart.
p. 133.5oblige = grant a favor
- The house, furniture, neighbourhood, and roads, were all to her taste, and Lady Catherine's behaviour was most friendly and obliging.
p. 144.8 *obliging = helpful
- But her commendation, though costing her some trouble, could by no means satisfy Mr. Collins, and he was very soon obliged to take her ladyship's praise into his own hands.
p. 163.9obliged = required (to do something)
- How could she deny that credit to his assertions in one instance, which she had been obliged to give in the other?
p. 202.4
- "I am much obliged to your ladyship for your kind invitation," replied Elizabeth, "but it is not in my power to accept it."
p. 205.1 *obliged = grateful or indebted
- The very last evening was spent there; and her ladyship again inquired minutely into the particulars of their journey, gave them directions as to the best method of packing, and was so urgent on the necessity of placing gowns in the only right way, that Maria thought herself obliged, on her return, to undo all the work of the morning, and pack her trunk afresh.
p. 207.8obliged = required (to do something)
- She had spent six weeks with great enjoyment; and the pleasure of being with Charlotte, and the kind attentions she had received, must make her feel the obliged.
p. 208.7obliged = grateful or indebted
- Words were insufficient for the elevation of his feelings; and he was obliged to walk about the room, while Elizabeth tried to unite civility and truth in a few short sentences.
p. 209.2obliged = required (to do something)
- …she had a new gown, or a new parasol, which she would have described more fully, but was obliged to leave off in a violent hurry, as Mrs. Forster called her, and they were going off to the camp;
p. 230.2
- Mr. Gardiner would be prevented by business from setting out till a fortnight later in July, and must be in London again within a month, and as that left too short a period for them to go so far, and see so much as they had proposed, or at least to see it with the leisure and comfort they had built on, they were obliged to give up the Lakes, and substitute a more contracted tour, and, according to the present plan, were to go no farther northwards than Derbyshire.
p. 230.8
- She felt that she had no business at Pemberley, and was obliged to assume a disinclination for seeing it.
p. 232.3
- Her niece was, therefore, obliged to submit, and they took their way towards the house on the opposite side of the river, in the nearest direction;
p. 243.4
- What he means to do I am sure I know not; but his excessive distress will not allow him to pursue any measure in the best and safest way, and Colonel Forster is obliged to be at Brighton again to-morrow evening.
p. 262.9
- He confessed himself obliged to leave the regiment, on account of some debts of honour, which were very pressing; and scrupled not to lay all the ill-consequences of Lydia's flight on her own folly alone.
p. 305.9
- I am sure he will be vastly happy to oblige you, and will save all the best of the covies for you.
p. 318.7oblige = grant a favor
- Bingley, from this time, was of course a daily visitor at Longbourn; coming frequently before breakfast, and always remaining till after supper; unless when some barbarous neighbour, who could not be enough detested, had given him an invitation to dinner which he thought himself obliged to accept.
p. 330.1obliged = required (to do something)
- Though Elizabeth would not, for the mere purpose of obliging Lady Catherine, have answered this question, she could not but say, after a moment's deliberation: "I am not."
p. 337.6obliging = helpful or willing to be helpful
- You refuse, then, to oblige me.
p. 338.9oblige = grant a favor
- * * * * * The surprise of the rest of the family, on hearing who their visitor had been, was very great; but they obligingly satisfied it, with the same kind of supposition which had appeased Mrs. Bennet's curiosity; and Elizabeth was spared from much teasing on the subject.†
p. 341.6
- I was obliged to confess one thing, which for a time, and not unjustly, offended him.
p. 351.4obliged = required (to do something)
- Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters' beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance.
p. 365.2
Definitions:
-
(1)
(oblige as in: I am obliged by law.) require (obligate) to do something
-
(2)
(oblige as in: I obliged her every request.) grant a favor to someone
-
(3)
(obliged as in: I'm much obliged for your kindness) grateful or indebted
-
(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much more rarely, in classic literature you may see oblige as a synonym for ask as when Jules Verne wrote "I obliged the Professor to move his lamp over the walls of the gallery," in Journey to the Center of the Earth.