drudgery

[druhj-uh-ree]

noun

plural

drudgeries 

1. menial, distasteful, dull, or hard work.

drudgery

/ ˈdrʌdʒərɪ /

noun

1. hard, menial, and monotonous work

Word History and Origins

Origin of drudgery¹

First recorded in 1540–50; drudge + -ery

Example Sentences

There was a time when such a brutal schedule would have seemed like pure drudgery.

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Enduring the dour drudgery of “Last Rites,” it’s never been clearer that it’s time to give up the ghost.

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It promises to hack biology without the drudgery of counting calories or cutting carbs: simply change when you eat, not necessarily what you eat.

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But he wanted to escape the drudgery of a day job so put an advert for a band in a record shop.

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“That’s Jazz Baby!” from Spies Among Us, the team behind a long-running Little Tokyo tale of espionage, found similar lifelessness in corporate drudgery, this time in a jazz nightclub.

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When To Use

What are other ways to say drudgery?

Drudgery refers to menial, distasteful, or hard work. How is drudgery different from work, labor, or toil? Find out on Thesaurus.com.