Learn English – What’s a less obscure word for “sinecure”

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I'm writing a message which will go out to a global community, so I want to keep the vocabulary relatively straightforward. I'm describing a job which previously has been a little vaguely-defined, but which going forward is expected to be significantly more meaningful, both in responsibilities and impact.

In my draft, I wrote that the position is a serious one, "not a sinecure". However, this only really helpful if someone already knows this (relatively obscure, I think) word. I can, of course, explain more, but I was hoping for some thing succinct. The thesaurus is not helping here; is there another word or short phrase which concisely expresses the same or similar meaning?

Best Answer

I suggest nominal: (from TFD)

  • existing in name only.

The position is a serious one, not just nominal.

  • she is the nominal head of our college, the real work is done by her deputy. (from Cambridge Dict,)
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