menial 1 of 2

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

menial

2 of 2

noun

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 menial
Adjective
Throughout her years of obscurity, Butler rose daily to write before menial jobs as a potato chip inspector, dishwasher and telemarketer. Stephen Kearse, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 At the time, job prospects for female chemists were limited to menial positions. Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
Despite the national security risk articulated by politicians and federal law enforcement officials, some users see the risk as menial compared to other social media platforms. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2023 Introducing artificial intelligence into your business can help you to minimize the menial. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 1 June 2022 See All Example Sentences for menial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for menial
Adjective
  • By the time Napoleon invaded Egypt, in 1798, Alexandria had become a humble Ottoman port.
    Hannah Edgar, ARTnews.com, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Instead, Ram is using the humble 3.6 L Pentastar V6.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Japanese folklore indicates the fish belonged to servants of the sea god Ryūjin.
    Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Banksy removed one of the servants and added a sinking oil tanker and two figures in hazmat suits hauling a barrel of toxic waste.
    David Matthews, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • His co-stars, like Will Ferrell’s savage Mugatu, Owen Wilson’s stoner hottie Hansel, and Nathan Lee Graham’s servile Todd — all so precise and well-defined in the original’s ravelike milieu — are doomed to retrace their old steps here.
    Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
  • These officials could, in turn, redistribute some of their private goods among their own servile lieutenants, but the monarch retained ultimate power to grant or revoke their privileged status.
    Serhiy Kudelia, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2014
Adjective
  • Small mercies are welcome when the losses are this meek.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Sometimes, young players of his profile are quite meek — apologetic for their ability, even.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 27 July 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menial. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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