slave labor

noun

1. persons, especially a large group, performing labor under duress or threats, as prisoners in a concentration camp; a labor force of slaves or slavelike prisoners.

2. labor done by such a labor force.

3. any coerced or poorly remunerated work.

   Data entry at that salary is slave labor.

Other Word Forms

• slave-labor adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slave labor¹

First recorded in 1810–20