busywork
noun
busy·work
ˈbi-zē-ˌwərk 
: work that usually appears productive or of intrinsic value but actually only keeps one occupied
Examples of busywork in a Sentence
Students were given busywork for the last few minutes of class.
Recent Examples on the Web
In an interview last week, Fox seemed to suggest that the company’s tech aims to eliminate health-care busywork, such as note-taking.
—
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
If your architecture saves the organization two thousand hours of busywork, the results speak entirely for themselves.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Like so many episodes on this monumental season, this felt a bit like busywork, just two more boxes to check off on the way to the end.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Haring seems to have genuinely liked the busywork of his days.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for busywork
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.
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
If your architecture saves the organization two thousand hours of busywork, the results speak entirely for themselves.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Like so many episodes on this monumental season, this felt a bit like busywork, just two more boxes to check off on the way to the end.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Haring seems to have genuinely liked the busywork of his days.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for busywork
Cite this Entry
“Busywork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/busywork. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
