Obliging, a.
Putting under obligation; disposed to oblige or do favors; hence, helpful; civil; kind. Mons.Strozzi has many curiosities, and is very obliging to a stranger who desires the sight of them. Addison.
Syn. -- Civil; complaisant; courteous; kind, -- Obliging, Kind, Complaisant. One is kind who desires to see others happy; one is complaisant who endeavors to make them so in social intercourse by attentions calculated to please; one who is obliging performs some actual service, or has the disposition to do so. -- O*bli"ging*ly. adv. -- O*bli"ging*ness, n.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for obliging; he lists it under pleasant, polite.
Where he writes about it:
A pleasing face has good features, complexion, expression, etc.; a pleasant face indicates a kind heart and an obliging disposition, as well as kindly feelings in actual exercise; we can say of one usually good-natured, "on that occasion he did not meet me with a pleasant face." Pleasant, in the sense of gay, merry, jocose (the sense still retained in pleasantry), is now rare, and would not be understood outside of literary circles. — from pleasant
Synonyms
Antonyms
arrogantaustereawkwardbluffbluntboorishbruskclownishcoarsecrabbeddisagreeablediscourteousdispleasingdrearyforbiddinggloomyglumgrimharshhatefulill-behavedill-bredill-humoredill-manneredill-naturedimpertinentimpoliteimpudentinsolentinsultingoffensiveperverserawrepellentrepellingrepulsiveruderusticunciviluncouthunkindunmannerlyunpleasantunpolisheduntaughtuntutored