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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of drudge
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
David Harsanyi, National Review, 8 June 2023
However, Todd Field’s first feature film in 16 years drudges up those exact dark secrets of manipulative conductor Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett).
—Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 10 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for 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
Aren’t those who drudge away at them anything but harmless?
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 8 June 2023
However, Todd Field’s first feature film in 16 years drudges up those exact dark secrets of manipulative conductor Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett).
—Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 10 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudge
Noun
-
Westerners, Arabs and Indians dominate business and finance, while laborers from poor countries in Asia and Africa toil for long hours in scorching temperatures at oil facilities and construction sites — often with few protections.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
-
The idea goes back decades, to when Zadikian was working in Iran with art dealer Tony Shafrazi and became fixated on the way laborers stacked clay bricks, repeating the same gesture over and over until something larger took shape.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
In 2006, Lamont, fueled by his personal fortune and some savvy political advisers, visited local Democratic party committees and immersed himself in the drudgery of running a statewide campaign.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Your 5th House of Euphoria welcomes in the flighty Moon, which makes this a time for fun experimentation rather than tedious drudgery.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
OpenAI’s attorneys painted Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman as humble startup founders who labored to build OpenAI while Musk was largely absent.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
For the rest of us, the construction kickoff means delay upon delay as streets, avenues and roads are awash with heavy equipment and construction workers laboring with jackhammers, picks and shovels.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Much like the demonstrations two decades ago, organizers on Friday also called for a general boycott — no school, no work, no shopping — in an effort to demand that the country put workers above billionaires by taxing the rich.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
On Friday afternoon, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the 57-year-old worker as Thomas Darcy, a Schaumburg resident.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Jessica Chmielewski, Colleen Gartlan and Ella Riordan led a strong defensive effort in front of Noone.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The effort will focus on solutions that can be adapted elsewhere in the world, such as sustainable finance, digital innovation and workforce development.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The contestants struggled mighty hard with the songs.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Pornographic deepfake images of her have circulated online, making the singer the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and antiabuse groups have struggled to fix.—
Maria Sherman,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Westerners, Arabs and Indians dominate business and finance, while laborers from poor countries in Asia and Africa toil for long hours in scorching temperatures at oil facilities and construction sites — often with few protections.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
-
Some fleeing toil and craving transcendence, others reaffirming a faith long professed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Newer companies, such as Firefly Aerospace, Stoke Space and Relativity Space, are also striving to rise to the competition.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
-
As Miranda faces public outcry and the pressures of a downturning publishing industry, Andy once again strives for her approval amid her steadfast pursuit of rigorous journalism.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudge. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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