drudgery

noun

drudg·​ery ˈdrəj-rē How to pronounce drudgery (audio)
ˈdrə-jə-rē
plural drudgeries
: 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.
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 Fides’s tech spares us humans the drudgery of tracking deadlines, sourcing regulatory data, and creating legal documents. Moya Johnson, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025 Excel, a program that does complex math on a human’s behalf, is often associated, rightly, with corporate drudgery. Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025 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 10 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

drudgery

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

More from Merriam-Webster on drudgery

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