weighty task

USAGE SUMMARY

"weighty task" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to a task or responsibility that requires a lot of effort and time. For example, "The board will have the weighty task of deciding whether to make budget cuts or increase taxes."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

He also appealed to the jury's humanity, reminding them of the weighty task they had before them.

The New York Times

Ferraro and the Wang-Kumar ownerships have the weighty task of making the league succeed in the New York area.

The New York Times - Sports

With the painful commemoration of Sept. 11 settling behind us, the city is ready to return to the weighty task of rebuilding Lower Manhattan.

The New York Times

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly's appointment of three former federal prosecutors to evaluate the integrity of the Police Department's internal system for recording crime data has posed the panel with a weighty task.

The New York Times

But Mr. Gingrich's response raised another question altogether: Does the roar of an exercised crowd distract from the real and weighty task at hand — selecting the best candidate for president — by encouraging candidates to play for applause lines?

The New York Times

CHICAGO — For all the talk about how bright the Mets' future could be, the organization has a weighty task ahead finding capable position players to eventually array around their vaunted young pitchers.

The New York Times - Sports

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

Yet even as they stumbled to a messy solution at close to the last possible moment – the deadline was midnight on Friday – some lawmakers were already looking ahead to next year, when much weightier tasks await the next Congress and a new president in what may be an even more fraught era of divided government.

The Guardian

He felt that the Massachusetts ministers ought to support the court in its weighty, worthy task; none had sufficiently done so.

The New Yorker

For the obsessive compulsive list-maker and crosser-offer, a potentially satisfying exercise: lengthy lists of weighty sounding tasks ("compile report for pediatrician", "complete sensory diet profile referral", "chase SALT, OT and EEG") and multiple daily crossings off.

Huffington Post

So how does one tackle a task as weighty as translating a religious text?

The Guardian - Books

But a tragic death means uncommon uncertainty on the screen -- and weighty questions for the company tasked with deciding what to put on it.

Los Angeles Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "weighty task", ensure that the context clearly establishes the importance and potential impact of the task. This helps to justify the use of the adjective "weighty" and reinforces the gravity of the situation.

Common error

Avoid using "weighty task" to describe routine or insignificant assignments. Overusing the phrase can diminish its impact and make your writing sound exaggerated or melodramatic. Reserve it for situations genuinely deserving of such emphasis.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "weighty task" functions as a noun phrase, where "weighty" modifies "task". It is typically used to describe a task that carries significant importance and requires considerable effort or responsibility, as confirmed by Ludwig AI.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

77%

Formal & Business

18%

Encyclopedias

5%

Less common in

Science

0%

Academia

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "weighty task" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression to describe a significant and demanding responsibility. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is generally appropriate for formal and professional contexts, particularly in news and media, where it emphasizes the seriousness and potential impact of the task at hand. While there are several alternative phrases, such as "significant responsibility" or "formidable challenge", "weighty task" effectively conveys the sense of importance and difficulty. However, it should be reserved for truly significant situations to avoid diminishing its impact.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

significant responsibility

Shifts focus from the task itself to the responsibility it entails, replacing "weighty" with "significant" to emphasize importance.

arduous undertaking

Replaces "task" with "undertaking", emphasizing the effort required, and "weighty" with "arduous", highlighting the difficulty.

grave undertaking

Substitutes "task" with "undertaking" to stress the magnitude of effort and "weighty" with "grave" for serious implications.

formidable challenge

Uses "challenge" instead of "task", highlighting the difficulty and the need to overcome obstacles, with "formidable" conveying the sense of being daunting.

demanding assignment

Uses "assignment" instead of "task", implying a specific piece of work given to someone, and "demanding" in place of "weighty", to highlight the high level of effort required.

onerous duty

Replaces "task" with "duty", implying a moral or legal obligation, and "weighty" with "onerous", emphasizing the burden.

serious endeavor

Replaces "task" with "endeavor", conveying a sense of dedication and purpose, and using "serious" to emphasize the importance and potential consequences.

critical mission

Emphasizes the importance of the task by using "mission", implying a sense of purpose and urgency, and "critical" to highlight the potential consequences.

momentous undertaking

Replaces both "weighty" and "task" to indicate significance and the scale of the effort involved. Momentous refers to historical importance and is the highest level of alteration.

substantial burden

Focuses on the burden aspect, replacing "task" with "burden" and using "substantial" to indicate the significant impact or difficulty involved.

FAQs

How can I use "weighty task" in a sentence?

You can use "weighty task" to describe a significant and challenging responsibility. For example, "The president faced the "weighty task" of reforming the healthcare system."

What are some alternatives to "weighty task"?

Alternatives to "weighty task" include "arduous undertaking", "significant responsibility", or "formidable challenge", depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

Is "weighty task" appropriate for formal writing?

Yes, "weighty task" is suitable for formal writing. It conveys a sense of seriousness and importance, making it appropriate for describing significant responsibilities or challenges in professional or academic contexts.

What makes a task "weighty"?

A task is considered "weighty" when it carries significant consequences, requires substantial effort and resources, and involves a high degree of responsibility. It's more than just difficult; it has significant implications.