GRIND Synonyms: 199 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of grind are drudgery , labor , toil , travail , and work . While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. // the grind of the assembly line

Q: When might 'drudgery' be a better fit than 'grind'?

In some situations, the words drudgery and grind are roughly equivalent. However, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor. // an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

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

While the synonyms labor and grind are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion. // farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Q: When is 'toil' a more appropriate choice than 'grind'?

The words toil and grind are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. // his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

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

The synonyms travail and grind are sometimes interchangeable, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering. // years of travail were lost when the house burned

Q: In what contexts can 'work' take the place of 'grind'?

The meanings of work and grind largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force. // too tired to do any work

grind 1 of 2

noun

Definition of grind next

as in scratch

a harsh grating sound the grind of ice in the blender sent the cat running from the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in nerd

a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits don't be such a grind—go out with your friends and enjoy yourself

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in effort

very hard or unpleasant work yard work is a real grind

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as in routine

an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity the daily grind of a 50-mile commute was getting old

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grind

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrīnd

as in to rub

to make smooth by friction after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry

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as in to grit

to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound everyone in the car winced when the driver ground the gears trying to shift into second

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as in to sharpen

to make sharp or sharper better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree

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as in to polish

to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure used the finest polishing paper he could to grind down the facets of the diamond before dusting it with a soft cloth

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as in to scratch

to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface ground the rock against the stone wall

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as in to crush

to reduce to fine particles grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun grind contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of grind are drudgery, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When might drudgery be a better fit than grind?

In some situations, the words drudgery and grind are roughly equivalent. However, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would labor be a good substitute for grind?

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

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than grind?

The words toil and grind are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When could travail be used to replace grind?

The synonyms travail and grind are sometimes interchangeable, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can work take the place of grind?

The meanings of work and grind largely overlap; however, 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 grind

Noun

Work-Life Imbalance The grind of Japan's work culture has long been blamed for discouraging parenthood, especially for women who fear losing out on career opportunities. —

Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025 For James, life was a daily grind of just keeping his head above water. —

Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2025

Verb

Archaeologists discovered numerous traces of the medieval hamlet, including cooking pots, storage vases, millstones used to grind grain, and carbonized remnants of cereal grains and legumes. —

Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025 Andy Reid isn’t going to change his grinding approach, putting points at a premium. —

Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for grind

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grind

Noun

Potential homebuyers with children in Detroit, for example, need roughly 20.3 years to save for a 20% down payment from scratch, according to Zoocasa.

— Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2025
Partnering with such firms allows startups to tap into these advantages without having to build their own infrastructure from scratch.

— Abdo Riani, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025