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Synonyms for ought
noun burden

need
tax
concern
duty
safekeeping
task

weight
office
commitment
onus
must
right

responsibility
millstone
obligation
trust
ward
custody

care
committal
deadweight

Antonyms for ought

disregard
distrust
exculpation

freeing
irresponsibility
benefit

freedom
exoneration
retreat

Synonyms
noun assurance; obligation

pledge
engagement
responsibility
need

promise
guarantee
duty
word

undertaking
liability
charge
vow

must
devoir
committal

Antonyms

denial
refusal

break
irresponsibility

breach
broken promise

Synonyms
noun responsibility, assignment

function
chore
task
business
service
office
work
charge
commitment
contract

commission
job
role
burden
need
obligation
load
onus
province
string

weight
undertaking
engagement
mission
calling
hook
must
part
millstone
station

trouble
trust
dues
occupation
committal
devoir
pains
minding the store
taking care of business

Antonyms

entertainment
fun
pastime
aid
advantage
surrender

hobby
disregard
faithlessness
treachery
unemployment
benefit

blessing
help
irresponsibility
inconstancy

Synonyms
verb endure, bear

enjoy
undergo
consider
feel
experience
leave
see

know
allow
permit
need
become
suffer
let

tolerate
sustain
entertain
must
be compelled to
be forced to
be up to

fall on
meet with
put up with
rest with
should
think about
be one’s duty to

Antonyms

ignore
reject
deny
refuse
disallow
lack

need
exclude
forget
neglect
hold
keep

halt
stop
want
kill

Synonyms
noun necessity, essential

precondition
requisite
prerequisite
duty
requirement

right
necessary
commitment
charge
imperative

fundamental
need
obligation
condition
sine qua non

devoir
committal

Synonyms
noun want, requirement

use
right
wish
commitment
demand
obligation

urgency
duty
longing
exigency
extremity
weakness

charge
occasion
requisite
compulsion
essential
must

devoir
committal
desideratum
the urge

Antonyms

luxury
riches
wealth

plenty
nonessential
have

comfort
fortune

Synonyms
noun responsibility

duty
accountability
requirement
right
necessity
constraint
understanding
commitment
contract
agreement

liability
trust
promise
burden
need
debt
bond
conscience
onus
business

restraint
IOU
engagement
debit
chit
charge
part
call
occasion
place

compulsion
cause
dues
must
committal
devoir
accountableness
due bill

Antonyms

disbelief
asset
irresponsibility

misunderstanding
disagreement
unemployment

freedom

Synonyms
noun nothing

nil
love
nobody
aught
nadir
zip

bottom
scratch
oblivion
nonentity
nix
cipher

zilch
blank
naught
void
nullity
rock bottom

insignificancy
nada
nought
shutout
lowest point
zot

Antonyms

VIP
somebody

anything
something

being
thing

Usage Notes

Ought1 forms its negative in a number of ways. Ought not occurs in all types of speech and writing and is fully standard: The conferees ought not to waste time on protocol. Oughtn’t, largely a spoken form, is found mainly in the Midland and Southern dialects of the United States, where it is almost the universal form. Hadn’t ought is a common spoken form in the Northern dialect area. It is sometimes condemned in usage guides and is uncommon in educated speech except of the most informal variety. Didn’t ought and shouldn’t ought are considered nonstandard. Both positive and negative forms of ought are almost always followed by the infinitive form: We ought to go now. You ought not to worry about it. Occasionally, to is omitted after the negative construction: Congress ought not adjourn without considering this bill.