menial

1 of 2

adjective

me·​nial ˈmē-nē-əl How to pronounce menial (audio)
-nyəl
1
: of or relating to servants : lowly
a menial worker
2
a
: appropriate to a servant : humble, servile
answered in menial tones
menial household chores
b
: lacking interest or dignity
a menial task
menially adverb

menial

2 of 2

noun

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

Examples of menial in a Sentence

Adjective every command was obeyed in the menial manner of someone who seemed grateful just to be in the presence of a celebrity Noun immigrants to that country faced fierce prejudice and could expect to find work only as menials
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Launched in November 2023, Copilot promised to help expedite menial office tasks like summarizing Teams meetings and draft emails. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2024 Even with a fraction of the same real estate and only a single town to drop into, gameplay in Cat Quest III feels more consequential, with missions that require deeper engagement to complete that makes the game feel denser, despite having fewer menial tasks in the grand scheme. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2024
Noun
Artificial intelligence has been heralded for its ability to optimize tasks, from the menial to the more complex. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024 Outside the windowless offices, the anthropocene was over—somehow these hapless menials had missed its bang or its whimper—and the pre-human food chain was busy reasserting itself. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for menial 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'menial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English meynial, from Anglo-French meignal, from mesnee, mayné household, retinue, from Vulgar Latin *mansionata, from Latin mansion-, mansio dwelling — more at mansion

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of menial was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near menial

Cite this Entry

“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menial. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

menial

1 of 2 adjective
me·​nial ˈmē-nē-əl How to pronounce menial (audio)
-nyəl
1
: of, relating to, or suitable for servants
2
: lacking interest or dignity
a menial task
menially
adverb

menial

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on menial

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