Meaning
Menial refers to work or tasks that are lowly, unskilled, or not requiring much training, often considered boring, routine, or lacking prestige. It can also describe a servant or person doing such work.
- As an adjective: describing a job or task that is simple, routine, and usually low in status.
- As a noun: a person who performs such low-status tasks.
Grammar and Usage
- Adjective: used before nouns menial job, menial task, menial labor
- Noun: often singular or plural a menial, the menials
Sentence structures:
- sb does menial work
- menial jobs/tasks are given to sb
Common Phrases
- menial job
- menial work
- menial tasks
- engaged in menial labor
- treated like a menial
Collocations
- Adjective + noun: menial job, menial task, menial duty
- Verb + menial work: perform menial work, do menial jobs, assign menial tasks
- Menial + noun: menial laborer, menial servant
Examples
- She refused to do the menial tasks that her colleagues tried to push onto her.
- Many immigrants are forced to take menial jobs to support their families.
- The intern complained about being assigned only menial work.
- Robots are increasingly replacing humans in menial tasks like cleaning and packaging.
- Despite his degree, he could only find menial employment at the time.
- The king treated his servants as if they were menials without dignity.
- Menial chores, such as washing dishes, often fall on the youngest family member.
- He started his career by performing menial duties in the company but worked his way up.
Synonyms or Related
- Lowly
- Humble
- Servile
- Unskilled
- Routine
- Inferior
Antonym
- Dignified
- Prestigious
- Skilled
- Important
- Esteemed