as in humble
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
every command was obeyed in the menial manner of someone who seemed grateful just to be in the presence of a celebrity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
immigrants to that country faced fierce prejudice and could expect to find work only as menials
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of menial
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
There, his head was shaved and he was sent to do menial work for other families.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for menial
Adjective
But that’s hard to do when even the most menial jobs fire you for poor time management.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
There, his head was shaved and he was sent to do menial work for other families.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
Despite the national security risk articulated by politicians and federal law enforcement officials, some users see the risk as menial compared to other social media platforms.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for menial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menial
Adjective
-
During the Depression, smart cooks came up with a way to make a delicious, family-friendly dessert that required the most humble ingredients.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Today, the humble spud is the world’s third most important staple crop, providing critical calorie intake for billions of people.—
Jay Kakade
July 31,
New Atlas,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
Julia is dressed quite plainly in servants’ clothing, while Henry looks slightly more well-to-do, though he’s also fitted in muted browns (and notably is wearing a kilt!).—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
22 July 2025
-
Another character dreams of running away to operate a shrimp boat with her Filipino servant, an aesthete who paints watercolors and practices his French.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
-
His servile defense secretary has threatened to deploy the military in other cities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure.—
Los Angeles Times Staff,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
-
The end of season 2 turned the tables on the meek Ada and domineering Agnes when Agnes lost her fortune thanks to her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) trusting the wrong people.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menial. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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