busywork
noun
busy·work
ˈbi-zē-ˌwərk 
: work that usually appears productive or of intrinsic value but actually only keeps one occupied
Examples of busywork in a Sentence
Students were given busywork for the last few minutes of class.
Recent Examples on the Web
After some humiliating busywork, his patron dies and he’s left to fend for himself, acquiring his own land for farming and attempting to make a citizen of himself.
—
Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
How much of your day does this kind of busywork consume?
—New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2024
Collecting 30 per level will commence a boss battle game — something very new that gives Mario Party the feeling of purpose, the classic gamification of busywork to make progress in an otherwise lateral game.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
Like As my olive-picking example shows, one person’s busywork is another’s soothing meditative practice.
—Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for busywork 
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Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
How much of your day does this kind of busywork consume?
—New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2024
Collecting 30 per level will commence a boss battle game — something very new that gives Mario Party the feeling of purpose, the classic gamification of busywork to make progress in an otherwise lateral game.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
Like As my olive-picking example shows, one person’s busywork is another’s soothing meditative practice.
—Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for busywork
Dictionary Entries Near busywork
Cite this Entry
“Busywork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/busywork. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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