# A noun that means "things you should do" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116 "2012-08-10T19:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/1 "2012-08-10T19:23:41Z")
I have been looking for a word for a few months now, and I have just not been able to find it. Things you have to do can be called “obligations,” (and they usually are) but what about things that are without much doubt the best course of action but that you still don’t have to do? Things like eating your vegetables or not being a jackass. Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/2 "2012-08-10T19:26:53Z")
moral imperative? I think we have a moral imperative to not be a jackass… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/3 "2012-08-10T19:29:21Z")
Expectations. Responsibilities. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/4 "2012-08-10T19:34:22Z")
duties ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/5 "2012-08-10T19:44:12Z")
“Expectations” doesn’t work. After all, I might expect you to do something really phenomenally stupid. That doesn’t mean you should. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/6 "2012-08-10T19:49:28Z")
Prudent actions. I suppose one could coin something like “Prudencies” ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/7 "2012-08-10T19:50:56Z")
Recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/8 "2012-08-10T19:57:10Z")
Chores ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/9 "2012-08-10T19:59:09Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > I have been looking for a word for a few months now, and I have just not been able to find it. Things you have to do can be called “obligations,” (and they usually are) but what about things that are without much doubt the best course of action but that you still don’t have to do? Things like eating your vegetables or not being a jackass. > > Any **suggestions** you might have would be greatly appreciated. ^^ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/10 "2012-08-10T19:59:39Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Prudent actions. > > I suppose one could coin something like “Prudencies” Joy-killers? 😃 The fact that English doesn’t have an easy word for these is interesting enough. I am sure in German there is a word that is super long and translates to something like “stuff your mother makes you feel bad for not doing.” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/11 "2012-08-10T20:00:38Z")
Advice. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/12 "2012-08-10T20:04:05Z")
Counsel. Wisdom. ---
**Author:** ![greenslime1951](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@greenslime1951](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenslime1951)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/13 "2012-08-10T20:08:06Z")
Why do you want a single word to express a relatively complex concept? “Things a person should do” may seem unwieldy, but it zeroes in on the idea, where any one-word approximation will be just that: an approximation. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/14 "2012-08-10T20:15:06Z")
Directives ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/15 "2012-08-10T20:16:50Z")
When I took Ethics in college, I learned the concept of “supererogatory.” Mandatory things are the ones you have a moral imperative to do; supererogatory things are the ones that it’s nice for you to do, but that aren’t morally required. The dog petting thread (which I assume inspired this thread) made me remember learning this. In my opinion, giving an explanation would be supererogatory. Nice, but not required. An “extra.” ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/16 "2012-08-10T20:17:16Z")
I think resposibilities best suits the term for one word used in the broadest sense. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/17 "2012-08-10T20:18:23Z")
Priorities. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/18 "2012-08-10T20:20:25Z")
If anyone knows the answer, I trust that they will do the needful. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/19 "2012-08-10T20:40:16Z")
I think they could be called _oughts._ Something that should be done, but doesn’t quite qualify as “must be done.” However, philosophers of ethics use _oughts_ interchangeably with _duties_, and duties to me are closer to musts than shoulds. So maybe we need to get po-mo and coin a confusingly similar word. How about _oughtas_? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116/20 "2012-08-10T20:51:21Z")
Well, the Latin word is _agenda_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-noun-that-means-things-you-should-do/631116.md?page=2)