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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of menial
William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
All the menial jobs undertaken by apprentices back then — such as cleaning the dressing rooms, sweeping the terraces or even painting The Dell — had to be done to the highest standard.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2023
An oceanographer served as winemaker, while Mr. Maltese was the group organizer and cellar rat, a wine-industry term for those performing menial but essential tasks like topping off barrels.
—Eric Asimov, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for menial
Adjective
Featuring four distinct stories (including Overlook hit MLM), this zany, bloody, wacko tale of inequality is sure to galvanize anyone who has ever felt lost in a sea of menial repetitious tasks.
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
All the menial jobs undertaken by apprentices back then — such as cleaning the dressing rooms, sweeping the terraces or even painting The Dell — had to be done to the highest standard.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
Outside the windowless offices, the anthropocene was over—somehow these hapless menials had missed its bang or its whimper—and the pre-human food chain was busy reasserting itself.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2023
An oceanographer served as winemaker, while Mr. Maltese was the group organizer and cellar rat, a wine-industry term for those performing menial but essential tasks like topping off barrels.
—Eric Asimov, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for menial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menial
Adjective
-
Stribing was equal parts humble, low key and polite — not at all in keeping with the image of a diva wide receiver.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Purple, pink, and red are more exciting, but a humble green offers an escape from what sometimes seems like excitement that never ends.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hyungjin Son and Vinicius Costa filled out the cast as Falstaff’s bumpkinly servants.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Frances is at home, self-medicating and snapping at the servants.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That this man’s-man tough guy becomes utterly servile in the presence of a bunch of slack-casual bazillionaires is the cherry on top of the fascist sundae.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Julia was the first weekly TV series that starred a Black woman in a role that wasn't servile.—
Starr Rocque,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That included a meek loss in Toronto, with Murray not participating on the second night of a back-to-back following a blowout loss at Detroit.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The other, meek and mild-mannered.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menial. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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