drudgery

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 But her return to the drudgery of chemotherapy several days later was a difficult comedown. Katherine Rosman, New York Times, 1 May 2025 Digital tools empower people to focus less on operational drudgery and more on relationship-building—a dynamic any brand in retail, travel, or hospitality should be studying closely. Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 Each time he’s killed testing the alien atmosphere for viruses or absorbing massive amounts of radiation on a space walk, he’s resurrected in a printing machine in what amounts to a hilariously terrible immortal drudgery. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025 The luscious, almost red-wine color is a chic addition to the occasional drudgeries of winter and surely to elevate even the most relaxed and cozy outfits. Emma Sandler, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drudgery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudgery
Noun
  • To opponents of the bills, including dozens of environmental and labor groups, the effort misplaces the source of building woes and instead would restrict one of the few ways community groups can shape development.
    Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
  • Counties with more than 4% unemployment (labor surplus zones) account for approximately 3.5 million unemployed workers, while counties with less than 4% unemployment (labor shortage zones) need about 1.7 million workers to reach the 4% full-employment benchmark.
    Ariel Diaz, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Noun
  • President Trump’s 2026 budget would freeze spending for many services for older adults, deeply cut others, continue his efforts to slash government staffing for key programs, and abolish a critical federal office that manages many of those initiatives.
    Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Revenue from the Tourist Development Tax, a 6% levy on hotel and other overnight stays, currently is directed by statute to tourism-marketing efforts, the convention center and sports and cultural uses.
    Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • There’s also mental health counseling to help the students deal with the emotional toil that homelessness takes.
    Debbie Daniel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2025
  • His instincts were forged during the Cultural Revolution, in the 1960s and 1970s, when his family fell from grace and he was sent to toil in rural Shaanxi.
    Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The festival also revealed programming in honor of Juneteenth — the day, now a federal holiday, that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 May 2025
  • The outlet reports that the images were obtained by the university for Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz to use as evidence for a discredited pseudoscientific theory of Black racial inferiority in defense of slavery.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • The sheets proved breathable and effectively absorbed sweat in the summer months.
    Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 29 May 2025
  • However, guests can work up a sweat in the bright gym, open 24/7.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
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
Noun
  • Dejan Kulusevski Age: 25 Contract expires: 2028 The Sweden international was exceptional up until January when fatigue and a foot injury took their toll.
    Jay Harris, New York Times, 29 May 2025
  • For example, a recent study found two handfuls of almonds a day eased fatigue and muscle damage after a tough session.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • For those who follow the White Sox, however, it’s been a long grind to close out this chapter.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
  • This is especially true with Saturn getting down to business in your sixth house of routines and daily grind.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Drudgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudgery. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

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