Meanings
- idiomaticThe distressing combined burden of the problems, doubts, imperfections, and responsibilities associated with human existence.
I tried carrying the weight of the world / But I only have two hands
2013, Avicii, Wake Me Up4 more examples
The weight of the world is off my mind since I have told you every thing.
1877, R. D. Blackmore, chapter 52, in Erema: My Father's SinThere was only one thing to be done, return to the hotel, retrieve his money, and try to forget the weight of the world and its cares in lunch.
1919, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 2, in A Damsel in DistressWith its trade deficits with Asia ballooning and U.S. consumers carrying the weight of the world on their credit cards, Washington felt it was about time somebody else did some importing.
1999, Frank Pellegrini, “The Kindest Rate Cut”, in Time, retrieved 03 May 2014"When I arrived at Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. . . . I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me."
2009 February 10, Tyler Kepner, “Baseball: Rodriguez admits past substance use”, in New York Times, retrieved 03 May 2014
Origin
An allusion to the burden borne by Atlas, the mythical Titan who carried the entire world on his shoulders.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish but see dźwigać na barkach
- but see dźwigać na barkachTranslations
Turkish dünyanın yükü
- dünyanın yüküTranslations
Cite this entry
weight of the world. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/weight%20of%20the%20world
“weight of the world.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/weight%20of%20the%20world. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “weight of the world,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/weight%20of%20the%20world.
Source: weight of the world on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.