LABOR Synonyms: 227 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'labor' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of labor are drudgery , grind , toil , travail , and work . While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion. // farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Q: Where would 'drudgery' be a reasonable alternative to 'labor'?

The words drudgery and labor can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor. // an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

Q: When is it sensible to use 'grind' instead of 'labor'?

The words grind and labor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. // the grind of the assembly line

Q: When might 'toil' be a better fit than 'labor'?

The synonyms toil and labor are sometimes interchangeable, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. // his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

Q: When could 'travail' be used to replace 'labor'?

While in some cases nearly identical to labor , travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering. // years of travail were lost when the house burned

Q: When would 'work' be a good substitute for 'labor'?

Although the words work and labor have much in common, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force. // too tired to do any work

labor 1 of 2

noun

ˈlā-bər

Definition of labor next

as in job

a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work one of the labors of Hercules in classical mythology was to clean out the stables of King Augeas

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in effort

the active use of energy in producing a result a superhuman amount of labor must have gone into designing and building the pyramids of Egypt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in toil

very hard or unpleasant work a political dissident forced to do six months of hard labor in the salt mines as punishment

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as in childbirth

the act or process of giving birth to children the mother's labor lasted for six hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in production

something produced by physical or intellectual effort a small, personal film that was clearly a labor of love for the director and actors

Synonyms & Similar Words

labor

2 of 2

verb

as in to struggle

to devote serious and sustained effort the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun labor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of labor are drudgery, grind, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Where would drudgery be a reasonable alternative to labor?

The words drudgery and labor can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When is it sensible to use grind instead of labor?

The words grind and labor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When might toil be a better fit than labor?

The synonyms toil and labor are sometimes interchangeable, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When could travail be used to replace labor?

While in some cases nearly identical to labor, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When would work be a good substitute for labor?

Although the words work and labor have much in common, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of labor

Noun

Cost of materials and labor decreased to $409,169, down from $1,255,315 the previous year, reflecting a reduction in product sales volume. —

Quartz Bot, Quartz, 9 Dec. 2024 In a Legislature where Democrats hold more than enough seats to form a supermajority, retaining a member of the party may have been less important to the union than making a point about the consequences of crossing labor. —

Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

Verb

Many people have labored to turn these ideas into policy, but Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, the secretary-general of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, has unquestionably been the leader. —

Kenny Torrella, Vox, 21 Nov. 2024 Phillips was laboring through the early parts of Monday’s game. —

David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for labor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor

Noun

However, in an interview with CNN Sport, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) suggested that the media should do a better job of promoting all the leagues’ players, rather than focusing on Clark’s exploits.

Johannes Sasay-Wada and Amanda Davies, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
Research shows that people are 10 times more likely to quit their jobs because of toxic work cultures than due to compensation or work-life balance issues.

Chris Dyer, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024