taskmaster
Americannoun
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a person whose function it is to assign tasks, especially burdensome ones, to others.
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a person who supervises rigorously the work of others.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of taskmaster
Explanation
A taskmaster is someone who makes you work very hard — maybe too hard. If your parents tell you and your siblings to shovel the driveway after a blizzard, even though it's freezing outside, they're definitely taskmasters. Anyone who imposes a task, or job, might be described as a taskmaster. The term usually refers to someone who forces workers to do especially harsh tasks. In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a taskmaster who makes Bob Cratchett work late on Christmas Eve. And a soccer coach who pushes her players extra hard could also be described as a taskmaster. Dating from the 16th century, taskmaster comes from Latin roots meaning "labor" and "director."
Vocabulary lists containing taskmaster
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.
An unglamorous choice to replace taskmaster Tom Thibodeau, the well-traveled Brown turned a good team into a great one by convincing them to collectively sacrifice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
At the FBI, he gained a reputation of being an exacting taskmaster and, despite his early Republican political alignment, someone who was appreciated by politicians of both political parties.
From Barron's ● Mar. 21, 2026
Wife Sharon played the taskmaster, keeping everything in line.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2025
Despite his hard taskmaster approach, "likeability was important to him", one former employee said.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025
A tall, friendly man, a lawyer and the Brotherhood's chief theoretician, he had proved to be a hard taskmaster.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
