Imposition

//ɪm.pəˈzɪʃən// noun

noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of imposing, laying on, affixing, enjoining, inflicting, obtruding, and the like. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    the act of imposing something (as a tax or an embargo) wordnet
  3. 3
    An unwelcome burden, presence, or obligation. countable, uncountable

    "They gathered soberly in the farthest recess of the ward and gossiped about him in malicious, offended undertones, rebelling against his presence as a ghastly imposition and resenting him malevolently for the nauseating truth of which he was bright reminder."

  4. 4
    an uncalled-for burden wordnet
  5. 5
    That which is imposed, levied, or enjoined. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A trick or deception put or laid on others. countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    Arrangement of a printed product’s pages on the printer's sheet so as to have the pages in proper order in the final product. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    A practice of laying hands on a person in a religious ceremony; used e.g. in confirmation and ordination. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    A task imposed on a student as punishment. UK, countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
burdencheatinginflictionapplicationapplyingassessment

Example

More examples

"I wouldn't want to be an imposition."

Etymology

From Middle English imposicioun, from Old French imposicion, from Latin impositio.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.