as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work
the donkeywork involved in setting up one's own start-up software firm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for donkeywork
Noun
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Despite a difficult development market and ongoing construction labor shortage, Boise developers are forging ahead to remake the city.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
26 June 2025 -
But its depiction of the site of the hotel as a liminal space of corruption and menace suggests that all tourist fantasies are based on the exploitation of others’ histories, lands, labors, and bodies.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Separate efforts by the United Nations to distribute limited food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2025
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Botswana is also investing in mitigation efforts by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and promoting various energy efficiency measures.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Harris said the comments coming on the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States were consistent with Trump’s most recent policies and practices working against people of color.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
24 June 2025
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Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Even the quiet, eyebrow-raising final moments, which suggest that the struggle for economic justice and equality might be utterly pointless, feel less like a philosophy and more like a real-life capitalist desire for more, more, more.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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The struggle was so real that Reynolds unveiled a special musical production for McElhenney's birthday devoted to teaching fans the pronunciation of his costar's last name, enlisting the help of some of his famous friends as well as members of the club's hometown.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Add alert fatigue and organizations are left with blind spots hidden behind dashboards.—
Rick Hutchinson,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Viewers have shared their own experiences with chronic anxiety, fatigue, and illness, some expressing relief at finally hearing an explanation that connects the dots surrounding their symptoms and broader societal conditions.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Sure, a high-intensity sweat session can make your heart pump harder, your breath quicken, and may even cause a burning-like feeling in your lungs and chest.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
23 June 2025
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By the end of the night, the whole team was dripping in sweat and covered in blisters, their pantyhose ripped from their high kicks.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The same is true for the NCAA insisting that students don’t qualify as employees of the colleges, despite the full-time daily grind of most players; colleges thereby save the vast expense of entering into an actual commercial relationship with their work force.—
Guy Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
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But, in Dick’s opinion, Charlie grew tired of baseball’s daily grind.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 June 2025
Noun
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More than a decade of physical and mental toil has caught up with me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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The pictures, which were taken in twenty-six countries, cover an exotic range of human endeavors, including the production of perfume in Réunion, the quelling of the Kuwaiti oil fires, and, most famously, the toils of gold miners in Serra Pelada, Brazil.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
31 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Donkeywork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donkeywork. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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