labor 1 of 2

1
as in job
a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work one of the labors of Hercules in classical mythology was to clean out the stables of King Augeas

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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labor

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun labor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of labor are drudgery, grind, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Where would drudgery be a reasonable alternative to labor?

The words drudgery and labor can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When is it sensible to use grind instead of labor?

The words grind and labor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When might toil be a better fit than labor?

The synonyms toil and labor are sometimes interchangeable, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When could travail be used to replace labor?

While in some cases nearly identical to labor, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When would work be a good substitute for labor?

Although the words work and labor have much in common, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of labor
Noun
Fresh Harvest is the one of the largest employers of people using the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa for labor, harvesting and staffing in the United States. Rosa Maria Navarro, Time, 28 Oct. 2025 Median pay was $49,540 in 2024, according to the labor bureau. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
Workers who labor outdoors, people with pre-existing medical conditions and the elderly are also at higher risk. Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025 Witkoff, who has labored on Middle East diplomacy since January alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, persuaded Kushner to lend a hand. Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
  • Cities are the engines for innovation, job creation and growth in most countries.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Rosensweig, a former top executive at Yahoo who joined Chegg as CEO in 2010, stepped down from the post in April 2024, handing the job to Schultz, who was operating chief at the time.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In recent days, the grassroots effort has spread, as messages offering and seeking assistance are cut, copied and pasted throughout communities big and small, connecting neighbors and finding those in need tangible help.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Hendrix and Bersten received a 36 for their efforts last week.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • How Tielemans overcame early toils is often used as a source of encouragement by new additions who seem peripheral at first.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But to borrow Manidis’s framework, the drive to create such a tool conflates useless toil with meaningful labor.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • How Superstitions Impact Modern Life and Pregnacy Pregnancy and childbirth are major life changes, and with that may come feelings of nervousness, excitement, even fear—and some of these feelings could present themselves as superstitions.
    Kara Nesvig, Parents, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The maternity concierge serves as a liaison, guiding expectant parents through the multifaceted stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, alleviating anxiety and stress while assisting families in navigating the journey.
    MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Merit Street was established by Peteski Productions, which is McGraw’s production company, and Christian broadcast company Trinity Broadcasting Network.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Carmody said production downtime is a big issue for companies in the processing industry, with it at times costing thousands of dollars for each minute a processing machine isn't on.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In my experience, this is especially true in the lonely hours of the night while struggling with chronic pain.
    Joni Eareckson Tada, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • After an effort to create a Falls of the Ohio national park fell short in 1967, Kentucky and Indiana officials struggled to stop the falls from becoming a garbage dump.
    Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Regardless of the scheduling headache, there's still no indication the funding bill would pass, unless Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal on health care.
    Zac Anderson, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
  • In the year before his death, Thomas had been struggling with his mental health, as well as daily headaches and memory loss, his parents said at the time.
    Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But the real, urgent work ahead of them was to redeem the losses slavery had wrought.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Stefanski and Andrew Berry have a lot of work ahead of them to turn the Browns back into a playoff contender.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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