millstone

[mil-stohn] / ˈmɪlˌstoʊn /

NOUN

heavy mental or emotional burden

Synonyms

STRONGEST

burden

STRONG

accountability affliction albatross anxiety blame charge concern cross difficulty encumbrance grievance hardship hindrance load misfortune onus punishment responsibility strain stress task trial trouble worry

WEAK

deadweight mental weight thorn in one's side

Antonyms

STRONG

advantage aid assistance benefit blessing calmness contentment ease encouragement exculpation exoneration happiness health help peace praise tranquility

Example Sentences

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millstone

It’s not a milestone so much though, as a millstone.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Yet today government paperwork is an ever-weightier millstone around the public’s neck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

“She’s reduced the price. She can’t shift this property and it’s become a bit of a millstone around her neck.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

How much can it become a slight millstone if you would be the one that breaks that run?

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Paradoxically, a series of ‘improvements’, each of which was meant to make life easier, added up to a millstone around the necks of these farmers.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

millstone

Example Sentences

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