DRUDGERY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

drudgery

noun

ˈdrəj-rē

Definition of drudgery

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

Relevance

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 Many leaders are rightly enthusiastic about how AI can help reduce burnout, eliminate drudgery and free people up for more meaningful work. — Carrie Varoquiers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 The Fed researchers applied this framework to the drudgeries of entry-level work, arguing that the experience is foundational to building up expertise required for senior roles. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 21 May 2026 Tech giants have argued that AI will benefit society by creating new jobs and making people more productive, handling digital drudgery like sifting through emails, writing code, editing photos and catching up on the news. — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 Sea Rangers offer a Swiss Army knife’s dexterity, pursuing government contracts across the European Union and United Kingdom to tackle the tedium of climate compliance and the drudgery of clearing those backlogs. — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for drudgery

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudgery

Noun

This means nearly every labor unit in the CSU will be out of contract July 1.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
Freshwater showers mean the sweaty smells of young adults doing manual labor never get too intense.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of labor

Noun

But the effort was set aside after the onset of COVID-19, which caused massive disruptions across the Los Angeles Unified School District, said Michael Trujillo, a political strategist for Gonez.

— Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Both countries have stepped up efforts to safeguard freedom of navigation and uphold international law in the strait, including hosting a summit with 51 other nations in April.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Definition of effort

Noun

Audit which MLOps automations cut toil versus which just shifted work to data scientists.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Pure white cloth, born in the murderous toil of slavery, formed in debilitating factory conditions, and finished through the agony of Sicilian children, was bleached in more ways than one.

— Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 15 June 2026

Definition of toil

Noun

The administration has said in court filings that its information also discusses slavery.

— Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
America, whose Constitution was formulated by white men, struggled to live up to its founding ideals in the days of slavery and displacement of Native Americans.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of slavery

Noun

The combination of heat and high humidity feels insufferable and dangerous because the human body can't cool off as effectively when sweat stays on the skin.

— Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Foad adds that the idea of eliminating toxins comes from sweat washing away trace amounts of heavy metals from the skin, rather than flushing toxins from inside the body.

— Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Definition of sweat

Noun

Although free labor can help a candidate win, volunteers are also seen as a source of risk, best restricted to such drudge work as phone banking or door knocking.

— Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Workers may be hoping that AI can finally take over their drudge work in the new year—ease their loads and shorten the workweek, or at least make more space for life outside the office.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Dec. 2025

Definition of drudge

Noun

In an interview with Mental Floss, competitive eater Yasir Salem discusses how speed eaters will chew gum to strengthen their jaws to avoid fatigue during competitions.

— Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Fifty years later, his military haircut glistens with silver from a lifetime serving in fatigues.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

Definition of fatigue

Noun

Located near Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park allows visitors to escape the daily grind of urban life and immerse themselves in nature.

— Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
In a country built on perpetual grind (westward expansion, the machismo of the highway), the motorcycle distills that promise to its essence.

— Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026

Definition of grind

Browse Nearby Words

drudgers

drudgery

drudges

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Drudgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudgery. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of drudgery

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on drudgery

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perfunctory

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes