: a person doing menial work
specifically
: a domestic (see domestic entry 1 sense 4) servant or retainer (see retainer entry 1 sense 1a)
Synonyms
Examples of menial in a Sentence
Adjective
every command was obeyed in the menial manner of someone who seemed grateful just to be in the presence of a celebrity
Noun
immigrants to that country faced fierce prejudice and could expect to find work only as menials
Recent Examples on the Web
Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2024
Instead of waiting around, doing menial tasks to pass the time like in Persona 5, the protagonist can take on interesting side quests, improve their relationship with Followers, or refine their Royal Virtues, Metaphor ReFantazio’s version of Persona’s social stats.
—Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for menial 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Adjective
Advertisement Trump’s rhetoric about jobs has been widely condemned by Democrats and Black leaders who have called it a racist and insulting way of implying that Black and Hispanic Americans take menial jobs.
—Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2024
Instead of waiting around, doing menial tasks to pass the time like in Persona 5, the protagonist can take on interesting side quests, improve their relationship with Followers, or refine their Royal Virtues, Metaphor ReFantazio’s version of Persona’s social stats.
—Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
Artificial intelligence has been heralded for its ability to optimize tasks, from the menial to the more complex.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for menial
Dictionary Entries Near menial
Cite this Entry
“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menial. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
menial
1 of 2 adjective
me·nial
ˈmē-nē-əl 
-nyəl
1
: of, relating to, or suitable for servants
2
: lacking interest or dignity
a menial task
menially
adverb
-ē
menial
2 of 2 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share