toil 1 of 3

toil

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in tangle
usually toils plural something that catches and holds a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair

Synonyms & Similar Words

toil

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun toil contrast with its synonyms?

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

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When would drudgery be a good substitute for toil?

Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than toil?

The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Where would labor be a reasonable alternative to toil?

The words labor and toil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could travail be used to replace toil?

While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When is it sensible to use work instead of toil?

The meanings of work and toil 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

Example 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 toil
Noun
The precise planting also reduces water loss to make your garden more efficient and productive with less toil and cost. Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2025 Others are brilliant master watchmakers who long toil for other brands and one day strike out on their own to prove their mettle. Carol Besler, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
Since there was essentially no housing stock at the time, boarding houses were built into the design of the city and were owned by the corporations where their tenants toiled. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 2 Apr. 2025 Chelsea finally managed to put Fulham under sustained pressure that did not abate even when Maresca made his boldest decision of all: to replace the toiling Nicolas Jackson with Cobham graduate George in the 78th minute. Liam Twomey, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for toil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil
Verb
  • Halfway through his first term, Johnson is laboring diligently to shore up his support among Black voters.
    Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
  • Supreme Court justice calls it 'ridiculous' Trump cuts reach climate scientists who labored for free Melina Khan is a trending reporter covering national news for USA TODAY.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • Experts predict an increase in space tourism over the coming decades, potentially accelerating global warming in a world already struggling to combat its effects.
    Sheetal Khedkar Rao, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
  • Rob Crossan January 17, 2025 Marketed as a luxury tourist destination, the Maldives struggles with the legacy of an authoritarian government and the existential threat of climate change.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • What Thornton is striving toward, an embrace of generosity, of humanity being able to change what faith and religion even mean, is often moving.
    Ella Kemp, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
  • Businesses should be able to write off the full expense of their capital investments in the year they are made, and the Senate should strive to cut spending elsewhere to balance out the revenue losses from making bonus depreciation permanent.
    The Editors, National Review, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • The data doesn't lie: vaccines work, including against COVID-19.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 31 May 2025
  • His mother worked as a doctor in China, and juggled three jobs in the U.S. for over a decade, saving up enough to eventually open a medical clinic.
    Samantha Subin, CNBC, 31 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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