duty-bound
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’m drawn to police detectives, not private detectives,” he says, pointing to the duty-bound, badge-wearing protagonist in “Cure,” a Criterion-anointed classic now held in the same pantheon of serial killer tales as “Seven” and “Manhunter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
To Williams, it hinted at a more menacing scenario — at secret ties between those who threaten the rule of the law and those duty-bound to enforce it.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2025
Sometimes, a patient makes an unconventional choice, but if the patient is competent and the request is fundamentally reasonable, the physician is duty-bound to comply.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2024
Among those who remained at the hospital were patients who could not move, displaced people with nowhere to go, and medics who felt duty-bound to stay.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2024
Then, suddenly, with one of her most audible sighs, she stood up and, grim and duty-bound, moved into the washstand area Zooey had vacated.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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