as in efforts
very hard or unpleasant work
the donkeywork involved in setting up one's own start-up software firm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for donkeyworks
Noun
-
Within days, China’s surprise intervention in the deal quickly shattered that hope, as Beijing stepped up efforts to discourage Chinese AI founders from moving their businesses offshore.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026 -
LaPoint explained the Rotary Club helps fund a range of programs, from literacy efforts to direct financial assistance.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The night before the Wolverines played Saint Louis, May tossed on his sweats and was making his way through the team hotel hallway to watch some film.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
-
How the Horns held off the Wolfpack Anyone who has watched the Longhorns are painfully aware of the palpitations and hoop sweats that come with this group.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Like the appeals made by women during the antiquity to midwife goddesses, prayer and supplication were ways to affirm intentions for healthy pregnancies, calm labors, and living children.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In the second round, Sarah labors.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One associate dean couched the misstep as a result of learning pains tied to the adoption of new technology.—
Emily Hodgson Anderson,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Tagovailoa, sporting a gray T-shirt and white ball cap, went through the pains and shortcomings of his past, his expectations for 2026 and the quarterback battle that awaits him in Flowery Branch.—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There has to be a chance that Jos Buttler’s toils in Sri Lanka and India represent his last ventures on the international stage, and therefore the end of an era.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Both were premised on the idea of frictionless ease, liberating their users from outmoded toils.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Four weeks earlier, agents had arrived in Chicago with military fatigues, face masks, armored vehicles, and rifles.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
For five days that month, federal agents in masks and military fatigues arrested people across east Charlotte, the South Boulevard area and Pineville.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ahmad plays Shah Latif, a British Pakistani actor, who, owing to the exertions of his faithful, often frustrated agent, Felicia (Weruche Opia), is improbably auditioning to be the next James Bond.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
That, plus an extra day to recover from their European exertions, with Forest also going to extra time and penalties in Denmark on Thursday, leads me to switch to a home win.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Finish with a few grinds of black pepper and serve.—
Nancy Vienneau,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of fresh pepper.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Donkeyworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/donkeyworks. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
