incumbency
/ɪnˈkʌmbənsi/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈkʌmbənsi/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈkəm-bən(t)-sē/ (ame, mw)
incumbency — noun
- incumbencysingular
- incumbenciesplural
1. the job of holding a formal post such as president, senator, or bishop, and the
the job of holding a formal post such as president, senator, or bishop, and the stretch of years a particular person stays in that post.
During Mayor Aaron's incumbency, three new public libraries opened across the city.
during + person's + incumbency
The bishop's incumbency lasted nearly twenty years before he retired to the countryside.
noun + lasted + duration
Senator Mayumi announced she would not seek a second incumbency after her current term.
Critics argue that long incumbencies in government make leaders distant from ordinary voters.
The judge marked his tenth year of incumbency by inviting former clerks to the courthouse.
- tenure
broader; covers any job, not only official posts
- term
the fixed length of office, regardless of who holds it
- term of office
more concrete phrase for the same idea
文法句型
during one's incumbency
the incumbency of [person]
用法筆記
Most often paired with possessives or named office-holders (her incumbency, the president's incumbency). Different from 'term' in that it stresses the holder rather than the fixed length.
常見錯誤
2. a responsibility that lies on a person because of their role, and that they cann
a responsibility that lies on a person because of their role, and that they cannot reasonably refuse.
Looking after the elderly residents fell as an incumbency on the youngest nurses each weekend.
an + incumbency + on + person
Tanvi felt the incumbency of explaining the new safety rules to every visitor at the museum.
the + incumbency + of + -ing
Reading the contract aloud was an incumbency placed on the head clerk by tradition.
Sade accepted the incumbency of caring for her grandmother without a word of complaint.
- duty
everyday word; far less formal
- obligation
broader; can come from law, promise, or role
- responsibility
neutral and common in spoken English
- option
something you can choose to do or not
文法句型
the incumbency of doing something
an incumbency on someone
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is a moral or role-based obligation, not a period in office. Often takes 'of + -ing' or 'on + person'. The adjective 'incumbent (on someone)' is far more common in this meaning.