1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
went for a retreat at the monastery for a temporary respite from the moil of the modern world
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2
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work
fed up with the moil and moneygrubbing of Wall Street, he decided to open a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
miners moiling all day in the sunless recesses of the earth
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of moil
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2020
During the Cold War, hot tensions became hopeless moils, conducted for political benefit as much as (and, over time, more than) moral right.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2020
Noun
The delight of online life gave way to its moil, and the pleasure of online services has been eroded by their many downsides, from compulsion to autocracy.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2020
During the Cold War, hot tensions became hopeless moils, conducted for political benefit as much as (and, over time, more than) moral right.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moil
Noun
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As the gathering went on, González Gutiérrez heard, on top of the helicopter, loud voices and a general commotion outside.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
23 July 2025
-
All the commotion and brutality complicate an otherwise mundane task: visiting Mom for the weekend.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
17 July 2025
Noun
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Over 500 hospitals in the U.S. have closed their labor and delivery units since 2010, including some in South Florida.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
1 Aug. 2025
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What matters is whether that person is curious, inquisitive and understands the labor and management dynamic.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The party of the president usually struggles in a midterm election like next year's race to replace Peters.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
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But AmeriCorps officials have struggled in recent years to provide financial information to auditors and have acknowledged the need for reforms.—
Dan Horn,
The Enquirer,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
In Tennessee, jam cake batter is swirled with blackberry jam.—
Anne Byrn,
Southern Living,
26 July 2025
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After reports came out that the Lakers wanted to move on from James following his decision to opt in to the final year of his contract, trade rumors immediately started swirling.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Police standoff after murders Lenexa police responded around 8:30 p.m. to the Donovan family home in the 7900 block of Hallet Street for a reported armed disturbance.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
23 July 2025
-
The tropical disturbance the National Hurricane Center is currently eyeing is hundreds of miles away from the Caribbean, in a stretch of ocean hurricane scientists call the main development region.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Waiting there for us was Rhubarb the python snake, who's a member of the zoo's animal ambassador program, which means she was selected to help promote the zoo's conservation efforts and represent her species.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
23 July 2025
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The visit, scheduled for 4pm, is part of the White House’s effort to ramp up scrutiny of the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation, which President Donald Trump has zeroed in on as a possible pretext for ousting Chair Jerome Powell.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Even though her husband and her eldest son will one day be king, Princess Kate has strived to maintain a sense of normalcy at home.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
22 July 2025
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These dishes have to be perfect, even in their simplicity, and there’s something exciting about striving for that.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
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This is why: the plates move slowly (as befits continent-sized slabs of rock floating atop slowly churning magma), at just about 3 inches a year.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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This would feed star formation in the thick central stellar bar that churns around the center of our galaxy.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moil. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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