labor 1 of 2

1
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

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labor

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verb

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
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu | Getty Images A union representing thousands of Costco employees voted to authorize a strike, paving the way for a work stoppage if the labor group and retailer do not reach an agreement. Alex Harring, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025 The removal of thousands of undocumented workers may disrupt supply chains, worsen labor shortages, and ultimately lead to higher meat prices for consumers. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
Workers at Melwood who labored under the subminimum wage were timed while completing a series of tasks – from vacuuming a room to tying a trash bag. Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024 Sutton’s been laboring on a full remodel of their Kansas City, Kansas, house near The Legends since August. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for labor 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
  • Working in the world Unlike priests or nuns, Focolare members work regular jobs while living their lifestyle.
    Lisa Ling, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2025
  • So Far The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Many people probably sense that at some point, there may be a societal pushback against AI, especially since many jobs are being replaced, not just in the creative field.
    Zain Jaffer, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The court’s decision foiled Knox’s last-ditch effort to completely clear herself of criminal wrongdoing in the case of Kercher’s slaying.
    Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025
  • When asked about potential water supply issues, Kelliher said crews are fortunate to have direct access to Castaic Lake and other nearby reservoirs for their firefighting efforts.
    Brandon Miller, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • His innie, unaware of this grief, toils in Lumon’s enigmatic Macrodata Refinement department (MDR), disillusioned with the monotony, the secrecy and the repressiveness of Lumon’s operations.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
  • Just Ask Xero is an AI co-pilot designed with the single purpose of reducing customer toil, or time spent on monotonous financial administration tasks.
    Jeffrey Hammond, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • This didn’t sever the link between pain and moral issues—particularly in the case of the pain of childbirth.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Postpartum hypertension: High blood pressure after childbirth, with or without preeclampsia during pregnancy.
    Khadeja Haye, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Many Hollywood productions have been forced to stop filming, amid the high winds, smoke and dangerous fires.
    Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
  • His production was especially encouraging given how little UCLA has gotten from its two big men, prompting Cronin to play him a season-high 27 minutes.
    Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Despite prior efforts to offer retention bonuses, the BOP has struggled to retain employees in the face of mounting challenges.
    Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
  • But these same models sometimes struggle with basic tasks, like arithmetic or writing metered poetry.
    Kevin Roose, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Other research has found that living near a factory farm is positively associated with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia, and people who live near them report higher rates of headaches, depression, anger, and respiratory symptoms, such as asthma.
    Kenny Torrella, Vox, 23 Jan. 2025
  • People with bird flu may get pink eye (conjunctivitis), a cough, a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue and fever.
    Hatty Willmoth, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • However, Ratcliffe’s work during his tenure as DNI helped grease the skids for his confirmation this year, especially his stance on China and promise to Democrats to keep the agency apolitical.
    Al Weaver, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Cheney received the Presidential Citizens Medal in early January in part for her work on the House Select Committee.
    Alexx Altman-Devilbiss, Baltimore Sun, 20 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near labor

Cite this Entry

“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on labor

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