labor 1 of 2

1
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

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labor

2 of 2

verb

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

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 labor
Noun
Some of the other features include an emergency department, a labor unit, operating rooms and an on-site pharmacy. Chase Jordan july 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2025 Environmentalists and labor rights activists have complained that China's graphite mining and production is dirty and dangerous. Rick Barrett, jsonline.com, 7 July 2025
Verb
An article published by the BBC this week recounts some of the backstory behind the bankruptcy of Reaction Engines, a British company that labored for 35 years to develop a revolutionary air-breathing rocket engine. Stephen Clark – Jun 6, ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025 This puts three of the top four regular season scorers on the first line and adds even more bang and jam to Bennett’s line, where Tkachuk’s been laboring akin to a wounded bull throughout the playoffs. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
  • Younger generations are being prepared to be worker bees — for jobs that are disappearing.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • Recent data has pointed to a stronger labor market, with the unemployment rate dropping and the economy adding more jobs than expected in June.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • There is currently no information about the containment efforts for the fire and its cause has yet to be determined.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2025
  • His comments came as national governments blocked significant merger efforts, not due to strategy, but due to politics.
    Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • Poets toil as often-anonymous individuals building some greater nest, colony, or hive that might outlast us or end up squashed and swept away unceremoniously.
    Hannah Brooks-Motl June 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
  • More than a decade of physical and mental toil has caught up with me.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • Despite having more complex reproductive organs and the burdensome, sometimes fatal, functions that come with them — menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding — female bodies tend to outlast male bodies.
    Starre Vartan, CNN Money, 7 July 2025
  • Today, with the exception of Wisconsin, Medicaid coverage has extended from 60 days to 12 months after childbirth.
    Natasha Williams, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • This is the strongest sucker and can be left as a secondary shoot for fruit production.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
  • The Royals continue to search for outfield production as the trade deadline looms at the end of the month.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • But almost six months into his second mandate, his administration has struggled to keep the cost of the staple down.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
  • But some producers are already struggling thanks to other Trump administration moves and delays.
    Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • Some headaches are related to muscle tension and can be triggered by stress.9 Hot showers or baths promote relaxation.
    Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 9 July 2025
  • These can seem like a real headache for a sole trader who does not have an HR department to take care of all this for them.
    Peter Boolkah, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • The agency ordered Gateway Energy Storage to conduct environmental monitoring whenever the company handles batteries; safely remove, package and dispose of all impacted battery packs; and submit detailed work plans and progress reports to the agency.
    Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
  • The Cormac McCarthy Society have made PDFs of all the Spanish passages in McCarthy’s work available online.
    Rachel Ashcroft July 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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