TOIL Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

toil 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtȯi(-ə)l

Definition of toil next

as in labor

very hard or unpleasant work after years of toil in a sweatshop, Kim was finally able to start her own dressmaking business

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

as in to labor

to devote serious and sustained effort toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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

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 toil

Noun

The on-pitch toil from Sean Dyche’s team merited such a response, but now the hard work starts in earnest for all, including TFG. —

Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024 Here, the women live off the land and toil endlessly in order to become wives and have children who will then have more children with the hopes of doing the same. —

Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2024

Verb

Recent weeks have shown that whichever striker is picked will have to toil largely on his own. —

Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025 World & Nation President Carter and the Mideast: Long-ago success and lasting wounds Jan. 1, 2025 The procession stopped at the farm where the future president toiled alongside the Black sharecroppers who worked for his father. —

Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for toil

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil

Verb

There are no heroes here, just Kidman fully immersing herself in a character for whom every action is an attack, for whom every word is a wheeze, and for whom every movement looks labored.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
It’s been almost a calendar year since the Sixers have seen that Embiid, the one who’s active on both ends of the floor, instead of laboring up and down.

— Tony Jones, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024

Definition of labor

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“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

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Last Updated: 26 Jan 2025 - Updated example sentences

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Synonyms of toil

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

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