Synonyms of drudgery

drudgery

noun

ˈdrəj-rē 

as in labor

very hard or unpleasant work

in the "good old days" household servants led lives filled with much drudgery and little pleasure

Synonyms & Similar Words

• labor
• effort
• toil
• slavery
• sweat
• drudge
• fatigue
• grind
• pains
• exertion
• struggle
• travail
• moil
• trouble
• responsibility
• job
• donkeywork
• tedium
• duty
• obligation
• chore
• spadework
• treadmill
• routine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rest
• fun
• leisure
• ease
• play
• relaxation
• decompression
• entertainment
• amusement
• recreation
• diversion
• repose
• sport
• idleness
• inertia
• inactivity
• dalliance
• dormancy
• loafing
• inertness
• dallying
• lounging
• goldbricking
• lolling

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun drudgery contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of drudgery are grind, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than drudgery?

The synonyms grind and drudgery are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of drudgery?

While the synonyms labor and drudgery are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Where would toil be a reasonable alternative to drudgery?

Although the words toil and drudgery have much in common, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

In what contexts can travail take the place of drudgery?

The words travail and drudgery can be used in similar contexts, but 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 drudgery?

In some situations, the words work and drudgery are roughly equivalent. However, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drudgery

Some have felt conflicted, but after decades without success and 14 years of soulless drudgery under Mike Ashley’s parsimonious ownership, many were willing to accept anything for the promise or even just the hope of better times. —Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025

When tools cut down on drudgery and frustration, fewer things get in the way of experimentation, and that’s where the creative leaps happen. —Steve Rodda, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Others call it a gamechanger for those who live in small apartments, or just want to take the drudgery out of dish washing. —Ho Lin, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025

Perhaps no science fiction technology besides flying cars has tantalized us so much and for so long as the promise of robot helpers that would finally free us from the drudgery of dishes and laundry (OK, these stories have also scared us on occasion, too). —Jackie Snow, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2025