Duty and Stay

Opposite meaning words

Duty noun - Something one must do because of prior agreement.

Usage example: I must obey the call of duty and serve my country

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Stay is an antonym for duty.

Stay noun - A temporary residing as another's guest.

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Duty is an antonym for stay.

Nearby Words: stayed, staying

good	good duty	good stay
original	original duty	original stay
true	true duty	true stay
unpleasant	unpleasant duty	unpleasant stay
Other adjectives: main, permanent, last.

It wasn't uncommon for an off-the-shelf appliance to stay on duty for decades and be passed between generations.

Source: They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will stay these messengers about their duty...but don't ask about Mrs. Cake.

Source: Memetic Badass / Literature
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Kyle is supposed to stay on sniper overwatch duty, but goes down to clear houses with Marines when he figures he can be more help to them down there than on sniper duty.

Source: Film / American Sniper

Cite this Source

Stay and Duty. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/duty/stay

Duty & Stay. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/duty/stay>.

Stay or Duty. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/duty/stay.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "duty" and "stay" have occurred on timeline