obbligato

obliged

adjective ohb-blee-GAH-toh Rare

Also means

forced

Usage Note

Obbligato (past participle of obbligare) is used predicatively: sono obbligato a farlo (I am obliged to do it). In a music context, obbligato (often written without accent in Italian scores) denotes an indispensable solo part that cannot be omitted — a direct borrowing into English. The negative non obbligatorio means 'optional'.

Examples

"Era obbligato a presentarsi in tribunale."

Natural Translation

He was obliged to appear in court.

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