drudgery

noun

ˈdrəj-rē How to pronounce drudgery (audio)
Definition of drudgerynext
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work in the "good old days" household servants led lives filled with much drudgery and little pleasure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun drudgery contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of drudgery are grind, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than drudgery?

The synonyms grind and drudgery are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of drudgery?

While the synonyms labor and drudgery are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Where would toil be a reasonable alternative to drudgery?

Although the words toil and drudgery have much in common, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

In what contexts can travail take the place of drudgery?

The words travail and drudgery can be used in similar contexts, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When would work be a good substitute for drudgery?

In some situations, the words work and drudgery are roughly equivalent. However, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drudgery However, like the original, it’s also grounded in the paranoia, compromises, and drudgery that are the handmaidens of intelligence work. —Andy Meek, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024 Lots of factors seem to underpin the sense of drudgery and potential depression. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025 What can people do to associate physical exercise more with happiness than with drudgery? —Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025 Others probably feel Dallas could have beaten or at least been more competitive against Golden State, or still remember the drudgery of the regular season’s first half. —Tim Cato, The Athletic, 24 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for drudgery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudgery
  1. labor
  2. effort
  3. toil
  4. slavery
  5. sweat
  6. drudge
  7. fatigue
  8. grind
Noun
  • If stricter immigration policies are enforced, this could lead to a construction labor shortage, further complicating housing affordability.
    — William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The Smith Act trials sounded the death knell for the nineteen-thirties Popular Front, when Communists, Socialists, progressives, and liberals had worked together—or at least tried to—on issues such as antifascism, racial justice, and labor rights.
    — Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of labor
Noun
  • Newcastle suddenly had a purpose, which has always been the basis of Howe’s efforts.
    — George Caulkin, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Engaging in advocacy efforts, whether by contacting lawmakers or participating in petitions, can help raise awareness of the department's critical role in higher education.
    — Scott White, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of effort
Noun
  • The story of a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and Hollywood producer who teamed up to sell a neck lift invention after 16 years of toil.
    — Shikhar Sachdev, thehustle.co, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Expect that humankind will finally be relieved of the woeful chore of everyday toil and be freer to be imaginative and creative.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Definition of toil
Noun
  • The story of Freedman's Village connects Arlington to the national history of slavery and emancipation.
    — Doug Melville, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • This problem dates back to the justification for slavery, when states' rights were invoked to perpetuate the brutal institution.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of slavery
Noun
  • The average person will lose a pint of sweat during a short session in a sauna's dry heat, according to Harvard Health.
    — Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
  • By Sam Reed For low-key exercisers, a casual cotton T-shirt and pair of sweats is an easy lazy-day combination.
    — Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of sweat
Noun
  • The corporate laborers of the industrial age were drudges, and might have needed the scaffolding of managerial hierarchies to make widgets in bulk.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
  • In other words, exactly the type of drudge work that corporates have outsourced for decades to offshore teams from the likes of Accenture, Cognizant and Infosys.
    — Iain Martin, Forbes, 4 Feb. 2025
Definition of drudge
Noun
  • Insufficient levels of these minerals are associated with a range of hangover symptoms, including fatigue, weakness, and drowsiness.
    — Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 19 Mar. 2025
  • As Hakeem Jeffries treks to Los Angeles for a big-ticket fundraiser, a number of Hollywood donors are staying on the sidelines out of fatigue, frustration and even fear over the ability of the Democratic party to stand up to Donald Trump.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • What to know: A team that didn’t run away from the grind.
    — Michael Waterloo, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
  • So, here's my challenge to every financial leader feeling stuck in the grind: What if your discomfort isn't a signal to leave, but an invitation to lead differently?
    — Sunil Rajasekar, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of grind

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Cite this Entry

“Drudgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudgery. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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