taskmaster

noun

task·​mas·​ter ˈtask-ˌma-stər 

: one that imposes a task or burdens another with labor

Synonyms of taskmaster

• boss
• leader
• foreman
• master
• captain
• chief
• manager
• commander

Examples of taskmaster in a Sentence

pitiless taskmaster that he was, Ebenezer Scrooge only reluctantly let his ill-paid clerk have Christmas Day off

known as a tough but fair taskmaster

Recent Examples on the Web

What is the answer to that — an authoritarian taskmaster? —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026

Billy is a tough taskmaster, sending Max down a hole in the ground to chisel out the precious metal, a tall task for a minor. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026

Guardiola was always a stern taskmaster with Sane, never overly praising him and often reeling back giddy reporters keen to hype the German star. —Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

In this Water sign, the taskmaster will expose emotional or spiritual fatigue, which asks us to build something honest and enduring rather than idealized and faulty. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for taskmaster

• bandmaster
• broadcaster
• cadastre
• disaster
• forecaster
• headmaster
• newscaster
• paymaster
• pilaster
• postmaster
• roadmaster
• schoolmaster

Kids Definition

taskmaster

noun

task·​mas·​ter -ˌmas-tər 

: one that assigns a task or burdens another with labor