Drudgery: meaning, definitions and examples

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drudgery

 

[ หˆdrสŒสคษ™ri ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

daily routine

Hard, menial, or dull work; tedious tasks or laborious effort.

Synonyms

chore, grind, labor, toil.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
drudgery

When referring to tasks that are repetitive, boring, and unpleasant, often implying a negative or tedious nature.

  • Every day, the data entry job felt like drudgery
  • She dreaded the drudgery of cleaning the entire house
toil

Describes strenuous, tiring work, often highlighting the physical or mental effort involved.

  • They toiled for hours under the hot sun to finish the project
  • Years of toil finally paid off when she got her breakthrough
labor

Commonly used for work that involves physical exertion, often associated with manual work.

  • Farm workers perform laborious tasks from sunrise to sunset
  • She was hiring extra help to ease the labor of the farm work
grind

Describes a hard or monotonous routine task that requires effort and persistence, often related to work or study.

  • The daily grind of commuting and long office hours was exhausting
  • Students often complain about the grind of studying for exams
chore

Used for routine, usually domestic tasks that might be boring but are required to maintain order or cleanliness.

  • He helps with household chores like washing dishes and taking out the trash
  • Saturday is the day she finishes her chores, including laundry and vacuuming

Examples of usage

  • The drudgery of washing dishes every night quickly became tiresome.
  • She was tired of the drudgery of her office job and longed for something more fulfilling.
Context #2 | Noun

work environment

A job or task that is hard, boring, and unpleasant to do.

Synonyms

boredom, monotony, tediousness, tedium.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
drudgery

Use this when referring to hard, menial, and repetitive work that is often seen as physically or mentally exhausting.

  • Farming in the old days involved endless drudgery without modern machinery.
  • He was tired of the drudgery of his desk job.
monotony

Use this when describing something that is tediously repetitive and unchanging, which may lead to a feeling of being stuck in a routine.

  • The monotony of his daily commute was starting to get to him.
  • She tried to add some variety to break the monotony of her schedule.
tedium

This conveys a sense of long, boring, and repetitive tasks, often leading to a feeling of weariness.

  • The tedium of assembling the same part all day was mind-numbing.
  • She was struggling to find motivation amid the tedium of her routine.
boredom

This is appropriate when talking about a lack of interest and excitement, leading to a feeling of dullness.

  • Watching the same movie for the tenth time filled her with boredom.
  • He couldn't stand the boredom of waiting in the long line.
tediousness

This is best used for something that is long, slow, or dull and seems to lack excitement or interest.

  • The tediousness of filing all the reports was almost unbearable.
  • His presentation was marked by its tediousness and lack of engagement.

Examples of usage

  • The employees were tired of the drudgery of the repetitive tasks at the factory.
  • He felt trapped in the drudgery of his daily routine.

Translations

Translations of the word "drudgery" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น trabalho รกrduo

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เค•เค เคฟเคจ เคชเคฐเคฟเคถเฅเคฐเคฎ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Plackerei

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ kerja keras

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ะฒะฐะถะบะฐ ะฟั€ะฐั†ั

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ harรณwka

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ้ชจๆŠ˜ใ‚Šไป•ไบ‹

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท travail pรฉnible

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ trabajo duro

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท yorucu iลŸ

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ๊ณ ๋œ ์ผ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุนู…ู„ ุดุงู‚

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ dล™ina

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ drina

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ่‹ฆๅทฎไบ‹

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ garanje

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ strit

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ะฐัƒั‹ั€ ะถาฑะผั‹ั

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒ›แƒซแƒ˜แƒ›แƒ” แƒจแƒ แƒแƒ›แƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ zษ™hmษ™t

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ trabajo duro

Etymology

The word 'drudgery' originated in the early 17th century from the Old English word 'drลg-ian', meaning 'to work hard'. Over time, the term evolved to refer to hard, menial work or tedious tasks. The concept of drudgery has been prevalent throughout history, particularly in the context of laborious effort and monotonous tasks.

See also: drudge.

Word Frequency Rank

With rank #18,403, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.