In a film from an English teaching youtube channel at 5:40 around, the female teacher is expressing that using "obey" instead of "observe" is a little too odd and strong in the following sentence.
"Attention customers, please observe social distance rules while you are standing in line." (at 5:26 in the film)
After checking the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Learner's Dictionaries online, I don't see that point. And in Oxford, it explains "observe something, to obey rules, laws, etc."
So, is it really a little too odd and strong to use "obey" instead of "observe" in that context?
Best Answer
I agree with the teacher. "Obey" is stronger, and may imply legal sanctions backing up the requirement. "Observe" is less official.
So, while "obey" means "observe", they aren't exact synonyms, and the latter is more likely to be used in the context you are discussing.