menial

me·nial | \ ˈmē-nē-əl

, -nyəl \

Definition of menial

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a person doing menial work specifically : a domestic (see domestic entry 1 sense 4) servant or retainer (see retainer entry 1 sense 1a)

menial

adjective

Definition of menial (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of or relating to servants : lowly a menial worker

2a : appropriate to a servant : humble, servile answered in menial tones menial household chores

b : lacking interest or dignity a menial task

Other Words from menial Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about menial

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Examples of menial in a Sentence

Noun immigrants to that country faced fierce prejudice and could expect to find work only as menials Adjective every command was obeyed in the menial manner of someone who seemed grateful just to be in the presence of a celebrity

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Haastrup said the surgery, which runs into thousands of dollars, was done free of charge to the parents, who work in menial jobs and would not have been able to afford the surgery. — Bukola Adebayo, CNN, "Nigerian conjoined twins successfully separated by 78-member team in Abuja," 8 Jan. 2020 Men confused the distinction between woman and animal, not only through rape, but by keeping women illiterate, pregnant, and exhausted, tasked with the menial labor of keeping the colony fed and clean and clothed. — Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "Miriam Toews’s Quiet Revolution," 26 June 2019 Muchnik’s older brothers were forced into service, doing menial tasks such as cleaning toilets. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "For Holocaust survivors, Hanukkah marks time to celebrate outside the shadows," 23 Dec. 2019 Most menial jobs are carried out by Dalits; few office jobs are. — Washington Post, "India’s Caste System," 25 Oct. 2019 Labourers must still pick around ten kilos—perhaps an hour’s work—to earn a dollar, but that is comparable to other menial jobs. — The Economist, "For the sake of workers, Uzbekistan is privatising its cotton industry," 17 Oct. 2019 Seymour was an orphan until Mr. Mushnik (a bagel-chomping, wholly real and unerringly wonderful Kevin Chamberlin) took him in and gave him a menial job, meatloaf and water, and every other Sunday off. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at Pasadena Playhouse finds humanity amid the musical camp," 27 Sep. 2019 Black government workers were still often delegated to lower-level, menial jobs, but there was a clearer path to advance into the white-collar and supervisory echelon. — Bryce Covert, Longreads, "Downsizing the American Black Middle Class," 24 Sep. 2019 With smart tech controlling your lamps, ceiling fans and outside fixtures, this menial task is no longer necessary. — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, "10 things you don’t need around the house anymore because of tech," 2 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'menial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.