DUTY Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'duty' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of duty are assignment , chore , job , stint , and task . While all these words mean "a piece of work to be done," duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance. // the duties of a lifeguard

Q: When is it sensible to use 'assignment' instead of 'duty'?

In some situations, the words assignment and duty are roughly equivalent. However, assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority. // a reporter's assignment

Q: Where would 'chore' be a reasonable alternative to 'duty'?

The words chore and duty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm. // every child was assigned chores

Q: When could 'job' be used to replace 'duty'?

The synonyms job and duty are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance. // the job of turning the company around

Q: In what contexts can 'stint' take the place of 'duty'?

The meanings of stint and duty largely overlap; however, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service. // a 2-month stint as a reporter

Q: When can 'task' be used instead of 'duty'?

Although the words task and duty have much in common, task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance. // charged with a variety of tasks

duty

noun

ˈdü-tē

Definition of duty

as in tax

a charge usually of money collected by the government from people or businesses for public use the shop at the airport charges no duty on tourist memorabilia

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in task

a piece of work that needs to be done regularly the regular duties of a lifeguard

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in obligation

something one must do because of prior agreement I must obey the call of duty and serve my country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun duty contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of duty are assignment, chore, job, stint, and task. While all these words mean "a piece of work to be done," duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

When is it sensible to use assignment instead of duty?

In some situations, the words assignment and duty are roughly equivalent. However, assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Where would chore be a reasonable alternative to duty?

The words chore and duty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

When could job be used to replace duty?

The synonyms job and duty are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

In what contexts can stint take the place of duty?

The meanings of stint and duty largely overlap; however, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

When can task be used instead of duty?

Although the words task and duty have much in common, task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of duty However, Kotlikoff acknowledged the university’s duty to respond to concerns about the student’s presence on campus. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 Most of the duties of the county government are now overseen by the state. — David Wade, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Two months after Sadruddin’s death, the family’s lawyer filed a complaint with the canton’s health authority, calling for an investigation into whether Rau had violated his duty of care. — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 Two off-duty cops hired as escorts lost sight of the trailer after an unmarked sedan struck their car and forced the cops to stop as the trailer drove on. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for duty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for duty

Noun

But a dollar paid in tax cannot also finance an engineer’s salary or a new production line.

— Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
The Federal Trade Commission identifies unauthorized bank withdrawals, unfamiliar medical bills and fraudulent tax filings among the warning signs of identity theft.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of tax

Noun

Once again, if Tesla were bringing already big and fast-rising profits to the table, the task wouldn’t be nearly as difficult.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, al-Ali held several meetings with Saudi officers at the Defense Ministry in Riyadh to discuss the costs of transferring around 10,000 fighters, financial arrangements, additional benefits and their intended military tasks.

— Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of task

Noun

Such a decision can affect production scheduling, inventory needs, employee activities and customers’ obligations.

— Ramachander Rao Thallada, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Anthropic's off-balance-sheet obligations are similarly large.

— Ashley Capoot,Jordan Novet,Annie Palmer,Lora Kolodny,Kai Nicol-Schwarz,Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of obligation

Noun

Our job, before and after AI, is building safe and useful products for human beings, and engineers are still best suited for that.

— Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026
The Commission’s sovereignty framework considers the extent to which investment, jobs and value creation remain within the EU and European Economic Area.

— Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of job

Noun

Rushing went through a learning curve juggling his defensive and offensive responsibilities, and navigating intense online scrutiny of his outbursts on the field and in the dugout.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Enroll your baby before the clock runs out Ensuring your newborn has health coverage is one of the first paperwork responsibilities that parents face in the whirlwind of bringing a baby home.

— Stephanie O'Neill, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of responsibility

Noun

As the exhausting history of credit-card fraud and data breaches suggests, too many sites and merchants still don’t understand their assignment.

— Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
In September, Anthropic updated Claude to combine chat with Cowork and keep working on assignments after users closed their laptops.

— Wen Shao, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of assignment

Noun

Start with the community With a pragmatic and fair approach, data center infrastructure can operate from a combination of baseload fuels, battery storage, and renewables, while prioritizing community needs and impacts.

— Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Rather than as a one-time session, our survivorship clinic builds relationships with survivors, supporting them as their needs change over time.

— Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of need

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“Duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duty. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of duty

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