Vocation
What it means
Work that strongly suits a person's abilities and purpose.
Reach for it when describing work experienced as a deeply fitting purpose or calling
Teaching became a vocation that united her patience and curiosity.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
-
everyday
career
Fits when long-term progression through work matters
Careful Career emphasizes advancement rather than service.
-
warm
calling
Fits when inner purpose draws someone toward the work
Careful Calling may introduce a religious frame.
-
warm
mission
Fits when a cause gives the effort moral direction
Careful Mission can encourage overwork or certainty.
-
professional
Fits when developed skill and practice define the work
Careful Craft can be meaningful without being one's vocation.
-
professional
profession
Fits when trained paid work is the relevant fact
Careful A profession need not feel personally meaningful.
-
formal
occupation
Fits when neutral employment category is needed
Careful Occupation carries no claim of fit or purpose.
-
literary
life's work
Fits when decades of purpose deserve reflective praise
Careful Life's work is retrospective and grand.
Opposites 3
- drudgery
- idleness
- misfit
Common phrases 3
-
find a vocation
Many find a vocation in teaching adults to read.
-
sense of vocation
A strong sense of vocation sustained him through routine paperwork.
-
chosen vocation
Her chosen vocation joined engineering with public service.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Vocation should not be used to justify poor pay, unsafe conditions, or limitless personal sacrifice.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Neskaya, Southern California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated