drudge 1 of 2

noun

Definition of drudgenext
1
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work worked like a drudge at a low-paying job that had few benefits

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drudgery
very hard or unpleasant work it took hours of pure drudge to sort through the junk in the basement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drudge

2 of 2

verb

ˈdrəj How to pronounce drudge (audio)
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort factory workers who must drudge all day at repetitive tasks

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 drudge
Noun
Offload drudge work and risky tasks so humans can focus on safer, more creative work. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025 The corporate laborers of the industrial age were drudges, and might have needed the scaffolding of managerial hierarchies to make widgets in bulk. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
Their previous defeat, a 33-point drudging by the Atlanta Hawks, led to coach Doug Christie chastising his team’s defensive effort after the game. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025 After months of drudging through renovations, the Tiki Taco team will soon enjoy the (jack)fruits of its labor. — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for drudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudge
  1. laborer
  2. drudgery
  3. labor
  4. worker
  5. effort
  6. struggle
  7. toil
  8. strive
Noun
  • Unfortunately, during the early to mid-twentieth century, negative perceptions of immigrant and ethnic laborers led many outsiders to view their neighborhoods as unsafe, unclean, and detrimental to the social fabric of American cities.
    — Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
  • The El Niño effects, in combination with the high fertilizer costs, will likely reduce opportunities for agricultural work while also increasing the amount that food laborers – among the poorest people – have to spend on produce.
    — Peter Hailey, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
Definition of laborer
Noun
  • Many leaders are rightly enthusiastic about how AI can help reduce burnout, eliminate drudgery and free people up for more meaningful work.
    — Carrie Varoquiers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Sea Rangers offer a Swiss Army knife’s dexterity, pursuing government contracts across the European Union and United Kingdom to tackle the tedium of climate compliance and the drudgery of clearing those backlogs.
    — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026
Definition of drudgery
Verb
  • Since the Computing Community Consortium hosted its first conference on thermodynamic computing in 2019, a small community of researchers has been laboring to put it into practice.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026
  • The former offices of the saltpeter mines, which produced the main ingredients used in gunpowder and fertilizer, evoke the past, when thousands of people labored at processing caliche, a nitrate-bearing rock.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • The building appears to be still in the framing stage with workers making adjustments to the concrete pylons as cars zip past.
    — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
  • From a human trafficking sweep, to a mistrial in the K Street mass shooting case, to a look at a state worker Reddit community, here’s a rundown of the top Sacramento stories on July 21.
    — Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of worker
Noun
  • Researchers began this effort in 2025, taking cell samples from deceased golden wild yaks and transplanting clone embryos into surrogate mothers.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • For Greece, the investment is part of a broader effort to modernize its armed forces and enhance deterrence capabilities in a region marked by persistent security concerns.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026
Definition of effort
Verb
  • In the galley, Joy struggles to accommodate two sheets of Suzanne’s preferences and one sheet of Sugar Baby’s.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 July 2026
  • Day to day, as the city grows, there’s also the question of traffic, which snarls the city as public transit initiatives have repeatedly struggled.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Outside, a group of tourists paused to watch her toil, then one read the restaurant sign near the door aloud.
    — Natalie B. Compton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026
  • The gods themselves are also an unnerving presence, omnipresent beings of colossal power who see humans as their playthings and view Ulysses' toils as some twisted spectator sport.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of toil
Verb
  • What specific gaps in the motorsports ecosystem was the team striving to solve?
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • There was so much striving, by individuals and their teams, striving for the World Cup trophy and striving against every structural indecency that conspired to compromise the game’s integrity.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of strive

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Cite this Entry

“Drudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudge. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of drudge for Spanish Speakers

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