donkeywork

noun

ˈdäŋ-kē-ˌwərk How to pronounce donkeywork (audio)
Definition of donkeyworknext
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work the donkeywork involved in setting up one's own start-up software firm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for donkeywork
  1. labor
  2. effort
  3. slavery
  4. struggle
  5. fatigue
  6. sweat
  7. grind
  8. pains
Noun
  • Those deductibles go up when hospital prices, drug costs, and labor expenses increase, as insurers try to slow premium growth by shifting more costs to patients.
    — Julie Appleby, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Once sent into rural exile to do manual labor for praising reforms in other communist countries, Zhu pushed through a dizzying array of changes as premier, China’s top economic post, from 1998 to 2003.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer said on X on Friday that the group will continue to target any Saudi buildups in an effort to lift the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen.
    — Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The significant time and effort involved makes most sense when recruiting, hiring, training, and mentoring large numbers for identical (or at least similar) jobs.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of effort
Noun
  • And in the late 1800s, after slavery’s end in the British islands, sugar was joined by another cash crop for which a market was fast emerging up north.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
  • It was widely regarded as the beginning of African slavery in the United States.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of slavery
Noun
  • This is a dynastic struggle rooted in antiquated monarchical, patriarchal belief systems.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The shot that exemplified Sabalenka’s struggles occurred in the second set.
    — Lukas Weese, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • That same study found users to have experienced other side effects such as nausea, flushing and fatigue.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms begin two days to two weeks after exposure and include watery diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite.
    — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatigue
Noun
  • Partial drafts of his work were carried along with him, soaked in Salinger’s sweat and imbued with his raw, instinctive reactions to conflict.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Oh, and sweat, bacne, thigh chafing, and, in some cases, a smattering of pesky little bumps in the area above your upper thigh and below your buttcheeks.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sweat
Noun
  • As a senior leader or mid-level executive tired of the grind, consider the massive opportunity hiding in plain sight.
    — Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Harbaugh liked how his team responded on Thursday to the grind.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of grind
Noun
  • Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, then 46, died in 2025 after complaining of severe chest pains.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
  • And Ford’s Bergg took pains to emphasize that its low price wasn’t coming from where customers would notice.
    — Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of pains
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.

Browse Nearby Words

donkeys
donkeywork
donkeyworks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Donkeywork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donkeywork. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on donkeywork

Nglish: Translation of donkeywork for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All