DRUDGERY Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'drudgery' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of drudgery are grind , labor , toil , travail , and work . While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor. // an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

Q: When might 'grind' be a better fit than 'drudgery'?

The synonyms grind and drudgery are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. // the grind of the assembly line

Q: When is it sensible to use 'labor' instead of 'drudgery'?

While the synonyms labor and drudgery are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion. // farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Q: Where would 'toil' be a reasonable alternative to 'drudgery'?

Although the words toil and drudgery have much in common, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. // his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

Q: In what contexts can 'travail' take the place of 'drudgery'?

The words travail and drudgery can be used in similar contexts, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering. // years of travail were lost when the house burned

Q: When would 'work' be a good substitute for 'drudgery'?

In some situations, the words work and drudgery are roughly equivalent. However, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force. // too tired to do any work

drudgery

noun

ˈdrəj-rē

Definition of drudgery

as in labor

very hard or unpleasant work in the "good old days" household servants led lives filled with much drudgery and little pleasure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun drudgery contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of drudgery are grind, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than drudgery?

The synonyms grind and drudgery are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of drudgery?

While the synonyms labor and drudgery are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Where would toil be a reasonable alternative to drudgery?

Although the words toil and drudgery have much in common, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

In what contexts can travail take the place of drudgery?

The words travail and drudgery can be used in similar contexts, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When would work be a good substitute for drudgery?

In some situations, the words work and drudgery are roughly equivalent. However, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of drudgery Fuller’s ideas are hard to summarize, but always seem to reach toward a utopian vision of escaping the drudgery of everyday life. — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 Aesthetic experiences were here not reserved for museums or the elite, but folded in along with daily drudgeries. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 In an interview with Fortune, Kopp described the company’s mission as freeing CFOs from the drudgery that keeps them chained to spreadsheets long after everyone else has logged off. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 Enduring drudgery requires discipline, Bronin owns the patent on that. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drudgery

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudgery

Noun

Rising costs, shrinking market Rising costs and labor shortages have become major challenges for Japanese companies in the post-pandemic business environment, said Harumi Taguchi, principal economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
Throughout the world, rapidly aging countries have resorted to foreign labor to fill jobs left vacant by shrinking workforces and to care for surging elderly populations.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of labor

Noun

For decades, the European Union has led the world in implementing policies designed to cut emissions, creating the world’s most important price on carbon and crafting the rules of the road for a wide range of regulatory efforts.

— Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Pan, a pediatrician, made national headlines while in the Legislature for leading California’s efforts to enact strict school vaccine laws.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of effort

Noun

Six months later, the ratification of the 13th Amendment permanently ended slavery in the United States.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Many abolitionists and Quakers – who fought to ban slavery – initially supported the colonization society’s removal efforts as a means for helping Black residents escape the cruelty of American laws, especially the Fugitive Slave Acts.

— Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of slavery

Noun

But Haslem was dripping sweat after the Heat’s training camp practices this week at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
New Atlas recently covered an experimental smart ring developed at UC San Diego that goes beyond optical sensing entirely, analysing sweat for biomarkers including glucose and ketones.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of sweat

Noun

In practical terms, the study suggests a preference for agentic AI to simplify drudge work and logistics, such as narrowing choices or suggesting better options, rather than taking full control of emotionally loaded or high-complexity decisions.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
Although free labor can help a candidate win, volunteers are also seen as a source of risk, best restricted to such drudge work as phone banking or door knocking.

— Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

Definition of drudge

Noun

In my eyes, Las Vegas looks like a postseason team, which means this tough, grind-it-out win could be something the Chiefs have to deal with not only two more times this season but for the foreseeable future.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
During the long grind of an 82-game NBA regular season, the Heat’s hope is this players-only getaway marks the start of a successful year after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of grind

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“Drudgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudgery. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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