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drudgery

drudgery

13 7.0
Boring, hard work that you do again and again
  • noun
  • /ˈdrʌdʒəri/
translation icon : trabajo monótono
  • We have slunk into a technology-induced haze of drudgery and overeating, laziness, and fatigue.
  • the drudgery of everyday life
  • everyday drudgery
  • the drudgery of routine work

There are hurdles, there are roadblocks, there's drudgery, there's tedium, there's boredom.

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Examples

  • We want them to think of learning as an enjoyable endeavor rather than as drudgery.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Now the labor is drudgery.

  • In one way, she was happy Robert was there because it released her from the drudgery of her work.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Freedom from the drudgery of every day life... ...freedom as abstract ideal.

  • Spending most of your life on toil and drudgery is no way to live.

    Blog text (27)
  • There was, doubtless, a sense of emancipation, the drudgery of a daily routine left far behind.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Presence transforms our work from drudgery into an occasion of sacrament.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Student friendships lightened the drudgery of institutional life and the routines and regulations to which students were often subjected.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Many Apaches drank tiswin as a means to relieve the drudgery of farming.

    Academic text (1993)
  • After a long week of monotonous tasks, she finally broke free from the drudgery of her office job.

Synonyms

grind
vsdrudgery
32 5.6

Work that is tiring and boring and happens every day

is the same but highlights both tedium and repetitive labor
monotony
vsdrudgery
14 5.5

A boring feeling when things are the same again and again

focuses on the work itself rather than the abstract quality of boredom
treadmill
vsdrudgery
  • Informal
12 4.2

A boring repetitive situation that feels never-ending

is similar but does not require the sense of being endless
grunt work
vsdrudgery
  • Informal
10 5.3

Boring, simple jobs that are necessary and take a lot of time

centers more on boredom and repetition than physical demand
tedium
vsdrudgery
10 6.8

Feeling bored from doing the same thing for a long time

applies this state specifically to hard and repetitive labor
daily grind
vsdrudgery
  • Informal
4 4.2

A boring, tiring routine of everyday work and chores

is broader, covering any hard repetitive work not only daily tasks
scut work
vsdrudgery
  • Informal
3 8.1

Simple unpleasant tasks that no one wants to do

is wider, applying to any dull labor whether trivial or not
tediousness
vsdrudgery
1 6.0

A feeling that a task is boring because it is long or always the same

stresses repetitive, dull labor rather than general weariness
dreariness
vsdrudgery
1 6.2

A dull, gloomy feeling that makes things seem not interesting

focuses specifically on tedious, repetitive labor rather than mood
shitwork
vsdrudgery
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Unpleasant small jobs that no one wants to do

is similar but more neutral and not necessarily coarse in tone
donkeywork
vsdrudgery
  • UK
7.2

A lot of hard, boring work that others avoid but must be done

focuses more on the dull, repetitive nature than necessity
mundane routine
vsdrudgery
2.3

A daily pattern of plain unexciting activities like work and chores

emphasizes hardship and repetition rather than plain ordinariness
tiresomeness
vsdrudgery
5.6

A boring feeling caused by something that lasts a long time

is more about repetitive hard tasks than slow duration alone

Antonyms

582 1.3

A group of different kinds of things

73 1.0

The feeling of pleasure you get from something

How Tedious

drudgery
13 7.0
to grind
60 3.7
routine
354 1.0
chore
195 1.0
work
1.0

Surface Forms

drudgery singular
drudgeries plural

Morphology

drudgery = drudge (transparent) = drudge + ery

The noun is transparently formed from 'drudge' + the noun-forming suffix '-ery', denoting the work or condition associated with a drudge.

Etymology

The word drudgery comes from the simpler word drudge, which means a person who does hard, boring work, plus the ending -ery meaning 'state or quality'. So, drudgery is the 'state of being a drudge', meaning work that is tedious, repetitive, and tiring.