busywork
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of busywork
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile, human roles will become less specialized, and more cross-functional, working in more nimble “squads” to oversee the AI’s busywork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Joe Fenti, a 29-year-old Boston resident, quit his corporate consulting job last year after feeling like his life was being whittled away by busywork with no concrete end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
But when you’re occupied by that idle busywork, it’s easy enough to convince yourself it matters.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2025
On the education front, instead of consulting books and other arcane text to write papers or prepare for exams, some students are offloading that busywork to ChatGPT.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
Principal Marshall looked up from all his busywork.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
