Augean

[ aw-jee-uh n ]

/ ɔˈdʒi ən /

adjective

resembling the Augean stables in filthiness or degradation.

difficult and unpleasant: an Augean chore.

Origin of Augean

1590–1600; < Latin Augē(us) of Augeas (Greek Augeí(ās) + -us adj. suffix) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for augean

I had to chase the chickens back into the coop and close the door so I could finish with the Augean Stables of the chicken pen.
What Did TJ Mean By “Pursuit of Happiness,” Anyway?|P. J. O’Rourke|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rather than meddle with them, I would give the Augean stables a second clean-out.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4|Lucian of Samosata
But while there is life in a young patient there is always hope, and we at once set to work on our Augean task.
A Labrador Doctor|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
Not that he abandoned his determination to cleanse his Augean stables.
Kophetua the Thirteenth|Julian Corbett

By sheer persistence and strength to enforce her commands, she had brought about a cleansing nothing short of Augean.
A Woman's Burden|Fergus Hume
His mind was very far from his official duties and the mass of reminders before him—this Augean stable of arrears.
The Snare|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for augean

Augean

/ (ɔːˈdʒiːən) /

adjective

extremely dirty or corrupt

Word Origin for Augean

C16: after Augeas; see Augean stables

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012