sworn duty
Pledged official responsibility
A sworn duty is an obligation one has formally pledged to fulfill, typically through an oath of office or solemn promise.
Police officers, soldiers, and elected officials take oaths that create sworn duties to protect, serve, or uphold laws.
The phrase emphasizes that the obligation isn't merely professional but carries moral and legal weight: It's my sworn duty to defend the Constitution.
Someone invoking sworn duty signals they have no choice but to act.
- oathFormal binding promise
- sacred oathSpiritually binding promise
- vowSolemn personal commitment
- solemn vowGrave, binding promise
- blood oathVow sealed by bloodshed
allegiance · honor · code of honor · obligation · pledge · loyalty · commitment · sacred · binding · solemn · service · fealty · promise · soldier · knight · badge · uniform · code
- chivalryknighthood, knights, chivalry, medieval knights, honor
- duty
- honorhonor, honor code, code of honor, personal honor, word of honor
- feudalismfief, vassal, fealty, homage, lord
- sworn bondsblood oath, oath of fealty, loyalty oath, fealty, blood brothers
- magical oathsoath, vow, blood oath, pact, covenant
sworn dutyafterthought
Idea added belatedly
nice-to-have · whim · passing fancy · friendly advice · take-it-or-leave-it
sworn dutyfree choice
Unrestricted decision-making power
caprice · voluntary act · leisure activity · voluntary action · whim
sworn dutybroken promise
Commitment not honored
dereliction of duty · oath-breaking · betrayal · abdication · empty words
sworn, duty, swear, swears, swearing, swore, forswear, forsworn, duties