menial

[ mee-nee-uhl, meen-yuhl ]
/ ˈmi ni əl, ˈmin yəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR menial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lowly and sometimes degrading: menial work.
servile; submissive: menial attitudes.
pertaining to or suitable for domestic servants; humble: menial furnishings.

noun

a domestic servant.
a servile person.

QUIZZES

IS YOUR VOCABULARY AS STRONG AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? TRY THIS QUIZ TO SEE!

It may seem like fun and games but this quiz that uses vocab from popular stories will determine how much you know.
Question 1 of 10
disgruntle
to deprive of ability, qualification, or strength
to put into a state of sulky dissatisfaction
to make repayment or return for (service, benefits, etc.)
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of menial

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English meynyal, from Anglo-French me(i)nial.See meiny, -al1

synonym study for menial

2. See servile.

OTHER WORDS FROM menial

Words nearby menial

Menger, Mengistu Haile Mariam, Mengzi, menhaden, menhir, menial, Ménière's disease, Ménière's syndrome, menilite, Meninga, meningeal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to menial

humdrum, boring, base, low, routine, mean, common, abject, degrading, dull, fawning, humble, ignoble, ignominious, obeisant, obsequious, servile, slavish, sorry, subservient

Example sentences from the Web for menial

British Dictionary definitions for menial

menial
/ (ˈmiːnɪəl) /

adjective

consisting of or occupied with work requiring little skill, esp domestic duties such as cleaning
of, involving, or befitting servants
servile

noun

a domestic servant
a servile person

Derived forms of menial

menially, adverb

Word Origin for menial

C14: from Anglo-Norman meignial, from Old French meinie household. See meiny
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