Augean

[ aw-jee-uhn ]

/ ɔˈdʒi ən /

Save This Word!

adjective

resembling the Augean stables in filthiness or degradation.

difficult and unpleasant: an Augean chore.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Augean

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin Augē(us) of Augeas (Greek Augeí(ās) + -us adjective suffix) + -an

Words nearby Augean

Aufklärung, au fond, auf Wiedersehen, aug., Auge, Augean, Augean stables, Augeas, augen, augend, auger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Augean in a sentence

He compared this discovery to a “wagon full of manure” left in the Augean stables of science.
The Two Forms of Mathematical Beauty|Robbert Dijkgraaf|June 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
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
The Bush White House staff has begun the Augean task of spinning the Bush legacy.
Carnival of the Shameless|Christopher Buckley|January 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Before the reconstruction, the old rubbish must be cleared away, and Augean stables must be cleansed.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI|John Lord

The district-attorney was busy, however, on an Augean task—the cleaning out of the police stable.
What Will People Say?|Rupert Hughes
She seemed prepared to clean Augean stables, and there was something judicial in her aspect too, but she did not look at Olive.
Olive in Italy|Moray Dalton
It was the river Alpheus that Hercules turned through the Augean stables.
Hints to Pilgrims|Charles Stephen Brooks
However the patriarch and his sons managed to cleanse this worse than Augean stable passes all understanding.
Bible Romances|George W. Foote

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