drudgery

noun

drudg·​ery ˈdrəj-rē How to pronounce drudgery (audio)
ˈdrə-jə-rē
plural drudgeries
Synonyms of drudgery
: dull, irksome, and fatiguing work : uninspiring or menial labor
the drudgery of his job
Choose the Right Synonym for drudgery

work, labor, travail, toil, drudgery, grind mean activity involving effort or exertion.

work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Examples of drudgery in a Sentence

He hated the drudgery of his job. in the “good old days” household servants led lives filled with much drudgery and little pleasure
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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 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 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 Each chapter delves into a different bodily experience that Maglaque herself has lived, from pregnancy to desire to drudgery. Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for drudgery

Word History

Etymology

see drudge entry 1

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drudgery was in 1550

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drudgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drudgery. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

drudgery

noun
drudg·​ery ˈdrəj-(ə-)rē How to pronounce drudgery (audio)
plural drudgeries
: hard or dull work

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