{"id":4779,"date":"2022-06-24T15:52:08","date_gmt":"2022-06-24T15:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4779"},"modified":"2022-06-24T15:52:08","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T15:52:08","slug":"much-obliged-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/much-obliged-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Much Obliged \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did an old lady say \"<em>much obliged<\/em>\" to you after holding the door open for her when leaving the store? Why didn't she just say \"thanks\" instead? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \"<em>much obliged<\/em>\" is another way of saying \"thank you very much.\" Technically, the phrase means that you remain obliged to the other person, and if you're ever in the position with the roles reversed, you will do the same for them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This phrase is \"<em>old-fashioned<\/em>\" language. It's a commonplace saying and usually said among the baby boomer generation. To be obliged to someone is to be in their debt, be thankful, grateful, or appreciative.<\/p>\n<p>If you tell someone \"<em>much obliged<\/em>,\" you're not really obligating yourself to do anything. You're just adding emphasis to the act of thanking them for their assistance. \"<em>Much obliged<\/em>\" is an older-generation greeting, and it works well with most people over the age of 60.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThank you, dear sir, much obliged. It\u2019s rare to find gentlemen like you in this town. It seems to me that you are a diamond amongst ruffians.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuch obliged, ma\u2019am. If you could just point me in the direction of the nearest town, I would appreciate it greatly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuch obliged to you for the help there, sir. Please take this money as a token of my appreciation. I insist; it\u2019s the least I could do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say much obliged to you, ma\u2019am. You\u2019ve been a tremendous help and source of support to my family throughout all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuch obliged to you, sir. I appreciate you doing business with our firm, and you can continue to rely on us to deliver for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thanks and much obliged to you for those kind words, Cyril. I appreciate what you and your family had to do to help us out with this. I won\u2019t forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4780\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Much-Obliged.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"281\" height=\"168\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4781\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Much-Obliged2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"279\" height=\"157\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u201cmuch obliged\u201d originates from the Spanish word, \u201cobligado,\u201d which means \u201cobligated.\u201d The Spanish word derives from the Latin word \u201cobligo,\u201d which means \u201cbound in obligation.\u201d Oblige appeared in English sometime in the 1300s, with the symbolic meaning of binding someone to their debt.<\/p>\n<p>The French word \u201cobliger\u201d is similar, meaning to \u201cobligate or commit oneself to a task\u201d or \u201cto make a promise.\u201d The saying \u201cmuch obliged first appeared in the 1560s, experiencing widespread adoption in English by the early 1600s to thank someone for their efforts or assistance.<\/p>\n<p>The earliest use of the phrase in the Oxford Dictionary appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2019Chron. Henry VII\u2019 yf yt chaunce me by your ayde\u2026 to recover\u2026 I\u2026 shalbe so much obliged and bounde unto you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I should be so much obliged\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wyn_MvKw6Vs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Much Obliged<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Thank you very much.<\/li>\n<li>I appreciate it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Much Obliged<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Thanks for nothing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Much obliged.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Much Obliged Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase \u201cmuch obliged\u201d doesn\u2019t mean that you are obliged to do anything for anyone. It\u2019s a way of thanking someone for doing something for you and that you would do the same for them if your roles were reversed.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Much Obliged<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \u201cmuch obliged\u201d as a replacement\u00a0 for \u201cthank you.\u201d It\u2019s a more polite way to thank someone for helping you out and suits situations where people go out of their way for you. You can use the saying in social and professional situations. Typically, men will use it as a replacement for \u201cthank you\u201d when talking to women.<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s suitable for use by men and women, and it\u2019s somewhat archaic language. You won\u2019t hear it very often in millennial and Gen Z generations, but it\u2019s a popular saying in the Baby Boomer generation. You could use it after someone opens a door for you or when a receptionist hands you your room keys at the hotel. It\u2019s a diverse saying with plenty of applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did an old lady say \"much obliged\" to you after holding the door open for her when leaving the store? Why didn't she just say \"thanks\" instead? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \"much obliged\" is another way of saying \"thank you very much.\" Technically, the phrase means [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4779"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5054,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4779\/revisions\/5054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}