An onerous or difficult concern:
— The burden of responsibility.

synonyms: encumbrance, incumbrance, load, onus.

Roget 706: prevention, preclusion, obstruction, stoppage; embolus, embolism [Med.]; infarct [Med.]; interruption, interception, interclusion^†; hindrance, impedition^†; retardment^†, retardation; embarrassment, oppilation^†; coarctation^†, stricture, restriction; restraint etc. 751; inhibition etc. 761; blockade etc. (closure) 261.    interference, interposition; obtrusion; discouragement, discountenance.    impediment, let, obstacle, obstruction, knot, knag^†; check, hitch, contretemps, screw loose, grit in the oil.    bar, stile, barrier; [barrier to vehicles] turnstile, turnpike; gate, portcullis.    beaver dam; trocha^†; barricade etc. (defense) 717; wall, dead wall, sea wall, levee breakwater, groyne^†; bulkhead, block, buffer; stopper etc. 263; boom, dam, weir, burrock^†.    drawback, objection; stumbling-block, stumbling-stone; lion in the path, snag; snags and sawyers.    encumbrance, incumbrance^†; clog, skid, shoe, spoke; drag, drag chain, drag weight; stay, stop; preventive, prophylactic; load, burden, fardel^†, onus, millstone round one's neck, impedimenta; dead weight; lumber, pack; nightmare, Ephialtes^†, incubus, old man of the sea; remora.    difficulty etc. 704; insuperable etc. 471; obstacle; estoppel [Law]; ill wind; head wind etc. (opposition) 708; trammel, tether etc. (means of restraint) 752; hold back, counterpoise.    [person who hinders] damper, wet blanket, hinderer, marplot, killjoy; party pooper [Coll.]; party crasher, interloper.    trail of a red herring; opponent etc. 710.    ... show more

Roget 828: mental suffering, pain, dolor; suffering, sufferance; ache, smart etc. (physical pain) 378; passion.    displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet; malaise; inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit; taking; discontent etc. 832.    dejection etc. 837; weariness etc. 841; anhedonia^†.    annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation; plague, bore; bother, botheration; stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre [Fr.]; mauvais quart d'heur [Fr.].    care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark^†, dole, fret, burden, load.    concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache; carking cares; heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart; heavy affliction, gnawing grief.    unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation; despair etc. 859; extremity, prostration, depth of misery.    nightmare, ephialtes^†, incubus.    pang, anguish, agony; torture, torment; purgatory etc. (hell) 982.    hell upon earth; iron age, reign of terror; slough of despond etc. (adversity) 735; peck of troubles; ills that flesh is heir to" etc. (evil) 619 [Hamlet]; miseries of human life; unkindest cut of all" [Julius Caesar]. sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb.    ... show more

Roget 641: redundancy, redundance^†; too much, too many; superabundance, superfluity, superfluence^†, saturation; nimiety^†, transcendency, exuberance, profuseness; profusion etc. (plenty) 639; repletion, enough in all conscience, satis superque [Lat.], lion's share; more than enough etc. 639; plethora, engorgement, congestion, load, surfeit, sickener^†; turgescence etc. (expansion) 194^†; overdose, overmeasure^†, oversupply, overflow; inundation etc. (water) 348; avalanche.    accumulation etc. (store) 636; heap etc. 72; drug, drug in the market; glut; crowd; burden.    excess; surplus, overplus^†; epact^†; margin; remainder etc. 40; duplicate; surplusage^†, expletive; work of supererogation; bonus, bonanza.    luxury; intemperance etc. 954; extravagance etc. (prodigality) 818; exorbitance, lavishment^†.    pleonasm etc. (diffuseness) 573; too many irons in the fire; embarras de richesses [Fr.].    ... show more

Roget 413: melody, rhythm, measure; rhyme etc. (poetry) 597.    pitch, timbre, intonation, tone.    scale, gamut; diapason; diatonic chromatic scale^†, enharmonic scale^†; key, clef, chords.    modulation, temperament, syncope, syncopation, preparation, suspension, resolution.    staff, stave, line, space, brace; bar, rest; appoggiato^†, appoggiatura^†; acciaccatura^†.    note, musical note, notes of a scale; sharp, flat, natural; high note etc. (shrillness) 410; low note etc. 408; interval; semitone; second, third, fourth &c.; diatessaron^†.    breve, semibreve [Mus.], minim, crotchet, quaver; semiquaver, demisemiquaver, hemidemisemiquaver; sustained note, drone, burden.    tonic; key note, leading note, fundamental note; supertonic^†, mediant^†, dominant; submediant^†, subdominant^†; octave, tetrachord^†; major key, minor key, major scale, minor scale, major mode, minor mode; passage, phrase.    concord, harmony; emmeleia^†; unison, unisonance^†; chime, homophony; euphony, euphonism^†; tonality; consonance; consent; part.    [Science of harmony] harmony, harmonics; thorough-bass, fundamental-bass; counterpoint; faburden^†.    piece of music etc. 415 [Fr.]; composer, harmonist^†, contrapuntist (musician) 416.    ... show more

Roget 319: gravity, gravitation; weight; heaviness etc. adj.; specific gravity; pondorosity^†, pressure, load; burden, burthen^†; ballast, counterpoise; lump of, mass of, weight of.    lead, millstone, mountain, Ossa on Pelion.    weighing, ponderation^†, trutination^†; weights; avoirdupois weight, troy weight, apothecaries' weight; grain, scruple, drachma^†, ounce, pound, lb, arroba^†, load, stone, hundredweight, cwt, ton, long ton, metric ton, quintal, carat, pennyweight, tod^†.    [metric weights] gram, centigram, milligram, microgram, kilogram; nanogram, picogram, femtogram, attogram.    [Weighing Instrument] balance, scale, scales, steelyard, beam, weighbridge^†; spring balance, piezoelectric balance, analytical balance, two-pan balance, one-pan balance; postal scale, baby scale.    [Science of gravity] statics.    ... show more

Roget 190: contents; cargo, lading, freight, shipment, load, bale, burden, jag; cartload^†, shipload; cup of, basket of, etc. (receptacle) 191 of; inside etc. 221; stuffing, ullage.    ... show more

Roget 830: painfulness etc. adj.; trouble, care etc. (pain) 828; trial; affliction, infliction; blow, stroke, burden, load, curse; bitter pill, bitter draught; waters of bitterness.    annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener^†; bore, bother, pother, hot water, sea of troubles" [Hamlet], hornet's nest, plague, pest.    cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn; canker etc. (bane) 663; scorpion etc. (evil doer) 913; dagger etc. (arms) 727; scourge etc. (instrument of punishment) 975; carking care, canker worm of care.    mishap, misfortune etc. (adversity) 735; desagrement [Fr.], esclandre [Fr.], rub.    source of irritation, source of annoyance; wound, open sore; sore subject, skeleton in the closet; thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side; where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood.    sorry sight, heavy news, provocation; affront etc. 929; head and front of one's offending" [Othello]. infestation, molestation; malignity etc. (malevolence) 907.    ... show more

Dutch: plicht, bewijslast, belasting, drang, druk, last, zwaarte

Weight to be borne or conveyed.

synonyms: load, loading.

The central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work.

synonyms: core, effect, essence, gist.

The central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse.

Dutch: hoofdthema

Weight down with a load.

synonyms: burthen, weight, weight down.

Dutch: belasten, drukken, rusten

Impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to.

synonyms: charge, saddle.

Dutch: beladen, belasten, opdragen, opgeven, opzadelen, zadelen