as in humble
showing, expressing, or offered in a spirit of humility or unseemly submissiveness
every command was obeyed in the menial manner of someone who seemed grateful just to be in the presence of a celebrity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
immigrants to that country faced fierce prejudice and could expect to find work only as menials
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of menial
R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
Throughout his early years, the future pope worked a number of menial jobs.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for menial
Adjective
Two are working at menial jobs and one will be limited in his job prospects, and one is not working at all.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
Throughout his early years, the future pope worked a number of menial jobs.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
Despite the national security risk articulated by politicians and federal law enforcement officials, some users see the risk as menial compared to other social media platforms.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023
Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for menial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menial
Adjective
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Improbably located right across the street from their humble abode is the upscale manse inhabited by the Falconers, a rich couple (Katherine Waterson, Chris Klein) who’ve raised only child Tiffany (Fina Strazza) to be a particularly stinging WASP.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
23 May 2025
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Each pits a young heroine of humble means against the formidable, possibly sinister lady of the estate; this time, that quintessential Nicole Kidman role is played by a serenely terrifying Julianne Moore.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Although the servant admits that Hamm has been like a father to him, their relationship is also highly dysfunctional.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
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There would be no roads or currency and the project would be staffed by robot servants and flying cars.—
James Montague,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
23 Mar. 2025
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Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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According to the latest report from L.A.’s film office, production days on location decreased more than 22 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared with an already meek period in 2024.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
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Democrats, unable either to diagnose or to admit to their own failings, measured their victories in the meekest of triumphs, and seemed to have lost all sense of purpose, direction, and proportion.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menial. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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