menial Definition
me·nial (mē′nē əl, mēn′yəl)
adjective
- of or fit for servants; lowly; humble a menial task
- servile; low; mean
Etymology: ME meynal < Anglo-Fr meignal < meiniee, a family retainer, servant < OFr meisniee, household < L mansio: see mansion
noun
- a domestic servant
- a servile, low person
menial Related Forms
me′·ni·ally adverb
menial Synonyms
menial Synonyms
menial Usage Examples
Preposition: of
task: Scott is even willing to assist his brothers in even the most menial of tasks.
Modifies a noun
- chore: George had to fight his way up, washing dishes, doing the most menial legal chores.
- task: Child asks parent to do some menial task which child can do for herself.
- servant: The labor of a menial servant, on the contrary, adds to the value of nothing.
- job: Holding on to two menial jobs just to scrape a living is now the lot of many.
- duty: Once upon a time, Jill, Sabrina & Kelly were police officers whose skills were being wasted in menial duties.
- labor: Soldiers were often hired out by officers for menial labor.
Modifying Another Word
- fairly: The able poor were to be set to work doing fairly menial duties such as hemp picking or could be hired out.
- however: Be prepared to do anything, however menial, and stick at it.
- too: Nowhere it seems is too far for her to travel to work, or too menial a task for her to perform.
- so: Ours doesn't bother himself with anything so menial as serving food.
Used with adjective complement
Browse dictionary entries near menial
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- ‹ mene, mene, tekel, upharsin
- ‹ Mendoza
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- meninges ›
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- Menninger ›
- Mennonite ›
- meno ›

