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burden

burden

166 6.7
The main idea of a speech or piece of writing
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrdən/
translation icon : tema principal
  • During the debate, the burden of my speech centered on the importance of education.

Examples

  • It is the burden of this responsibility that will define you and who you choose to be.

  • OK, that is the burden of my remarks.

  • Well, I can see you don't fully appreciate... the incredible burden of my responsibility.

  • An important question, however, is whether this burden will be evenly distributed across income classes.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The post-war generations, as I learned, struggled with their burden in a variety of ways.

    Academic text (1992)
  • My brother had shouldered that burden, allowing me to pursue my own selfish needs.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • We agree with Justice Scalia and hope we have borne that burden well in this article.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The burden of perfection.

  • The burden of her argument was that we must take action to protect the environment.

  • He expressed the burden of his writing as a need to inspire change in society.

Synonyms

theme
vsburden
677 2.8

Main idea in a piece of writing, art, or talk

refers to the central idea in speeches or discussions rather than only creative works
core
vsburden
468 3.2

The most important central part of something

applies to the main idea of a work rather than any physical central part
essence
vsburden
441 4.8

The central idea or most important part of something

is the main theme of a speech rather than an inner quality
effect
vsburden
  • Literature
289 3.4

The main idea expressed in a speech or piece of writing

is the overall main theme rather than the resulting impression or outcome
substance
vsburden
188 4.3

The main idea of something said or written

is the central theme of a whole work rather than just its essential meaning
gist
vsburden
46 4.6

The main point of what someone says or writes

is the central theme of a whole speech rather than just the main part
key point
vsburden
43 3.1

A main idea in a talk or report

is the overall central theme rather than any single important item
13 3.9

The most important part of a problem or discussion

is used for a speech's central theme rather than a single issue point
keynote
vsburden
3 4.2

The main idea of a speech, book, or discussion

is the general main theme across writing, discussion, or speech
1 5.6

The main point someone makes in a discussion

applies to speeches or texts generally, not only argumentative focus
main concept
vsburden
1 3.4

The most important idea in a discussion or text

is focused on speech or writing central theme rather than any primary idea

Compounds

39 5.4

The duty to show evidence that a claim is true

An animal like a donkey or ox that people use to carry heavy loads

white man's burden
  • Offensive
1 9.9

The idea that white people must rule and civilize non-white people

How Central

burden
166 6.7
topic
1.0
point
1.0
detail
1.0

Surface Forms

burden singular
burdens plural

Etymology

Burden originally meant something you carry and comes from an old English word; it is related to the common verb bear 'to carry'. It also once named the repeating line in a song that 'carried' the music, so the 'burden' of a speech is the main idea it 'carries' through the talk.