What's the word for something that you have to do, even though you don't want to [closed]
What is the word for something that you have to do (mainly because someone is expecting you to do), even though you don't want to do it, but you still do it. In other words, doing something that you are not interested in doing.
Example: Jenny hates babysitting her niece, but she has to do it for the sake of her sister and the love she has for her niece.
Perhaps you are thinking of an "obligation."
See the definition at dictionary.com (link direct to word entry).
1) something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc.
Housework that must be done is usually called a chore, whether it is done in the house or not.
Cambridge Dictionary
chore noun
A job or piece of work that is often boring or unpleasant but needs to be done regularly
I think the words burden and onus might be what you're looking for. In particular, they both have the sense of a responsibility which is unwanted.
burden: that which is borne with difficulty; obligation; onus
onus: a difficult or disagreeable obligation, task, burden, etc.
I would call that a duty.
Duty doesn't necessarily carry the connotation of something you don't want to do, but it isn't usually used to describe something that you're excited about doing, but rather something that you need to do due to an external impetus.
From Merriam-Webster:
2 a: obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's position (as in life or in a group)
3 a: a moral or legal obligation
Imposition.
- the laying on of something as a burden or obligation.
- something imposed, as a burden or duty.
- the act of imposing by or as if by authority.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary