LABOR Synonyms: 227 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

labor 1 of 2

noun

ˈlā-bər

Definition of labor next

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

as in effort

the active use of energy in producing a result a superhuman amount of labor must have gone into designing and building the pyramids of Egypt

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in toil

very hard or unpleasant work a political dissident forced to do six months of hard labor in the salt mines as punishment

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as in childbirth

the act or process of giving birth to children the mother's labor lasted for six hours

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as in production

something produced by physical or intellectual effort a small, personal film that was clearly a labor of love for the director and actors

Synonyms & Similar Words

labor

2 of 2

verb

as in to struggle

to devote serious and sustained effort the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples of labor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Catch up quick: Lawmakers established the program in 2021 to reckon with Virginia's past by focusing on the higher ed institutions that benefited from enslaved people's labor. —

Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 10 Oct. 2024 Don’t expect anything published then to quash the debate over California’s fast food labor policy. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024

Verb

Teams labored for hours converting mounds of unforgiving Gulf Coast sand into imaginative creations; categories last year included optical illusions and Texas pride. —

Chris Gray, Chron, 18 Sep. 2024 There are medicine balls and peanut balls for laboring, books and magazines, and a TV. —

Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for labor

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'labor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.