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.
The bar where everyone knows his name is his refuge from the day-to-day drudgery of his job as an accountant. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 Venture capitalists speak of a future in which AI agents will sort through the drudgery of daily busywork and free us up to live our best lives. Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025 And back then, among real art people, fundraising was considered drudgery. Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025 With this one invention, millions of secretaries would soon be relieved of the drudgery of constant retyping, and the business office would have a boon in productivity almost as profound as the one the typewriter itself had ushered in long before. Pat Butler, Sportico.com, 16 May 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 4 Jun. 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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