as in humble
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
every command was obeyed in the menial manner of someone who seemed grateful just to be in the presence of a celebrity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
immigrants to that country faced fierce prejudice and could expect to find work only as menials
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of menial
Stephen Kearse, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
At the time, job prospects for female chemists were limited to menial positions.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for menial
Adjective
Throughout her years of obscurity, Butler rose daily to write before menial jobs as a potato chip inspector, dishwasher and telemarketer.
—Stephen Kearse, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
At the time, job prospects for female chemists were limited to menial positions.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
Despite the national security risk articulated by politicians and federal law enforcement officials, some users see the risk as menial compared to other social media platforms.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for menial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menial
Adjective
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Neville has always been humble about his playing career, instead pointing to the talent of those around him, from Cantona to Beckham and many others in between.—
Matt Slater,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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Though Saturday Night excoriates Chase as a haughty frat-adjacent character and the actor’s reputation as being difficult to work with precedes him, an early writer paints a more humble picture.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Japanese folklore indicates the fish belonged to servants of the sea god Ryūjin.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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Banksy removed one of the servants and added a sinking oil tanker and two figures in hazmat suits hauling a barrel of toxic waste.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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His co-stars, like Will Ferrell’s savage Mugatu, Owen Wilson’s stoner hottie Hansel, and Nathan Lee Graham’s servile Todd — all so precise and well-defined in the original’s ravelike milieu — are doomed to retrace their old steps here.—
Sean Malin,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2024
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These officials could, in turn, redistribute some of their private goods among their own servile lieutenants, but the monarch retained ultimate power to grant or revoke their privileged status.—
Serhiy Kudelia,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Feb. 2014
Adjective
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Misty is really Joe Brown, a meek hotel accountant, but after 30 minutes with makeup, a fantastic outfit, and big hair — shazzam!—
Sandra Dallas,
The Denver Post,
2 Feb. 2025
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Flip-up covers on the front and rear boxes open up a pair of rather meek storage areas for carrying your shopping bags around, and the rear cover makes a small concession to comfort, revealing a half-inch thick seat pad when it's fully flipped open.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menial. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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