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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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
But that’s hard to do when even the most menial jobs fire you for poor time management. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025 There, his head was shaved and he was sent to do menial work for other families. Jack Healy, New York Times, 22 May 2025
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
  • Both Dunn’s and Watt’s stories exemplify two former standout NFL players who reached the pinnacle of their professions yet never forgot their humble beginnings, continuing to remain empathetic and grounded.
    Mark LaSota, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
  • Others presented someone humble and open about their limitations.
    Lauren Keating, Scientific American, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • But the novel also interweaves a repository of 795 poems throughout its roughly 1,300 pages—each written from the one of 118 separate characters’ perspectives, including mothers, servants, emperors, lovers, and Genji himself.
    Andrew Paul Jul 16, Popular Science, 16 July 2025
  • Shalla-Bal was later crowned the Empress of Zenn-La after Radd sacrificed himself to be enslaved as the servant of the planet eater to save his world from obliteration.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
  • His servile defense secretary has threatened to deploy the military in other cities.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure.
    Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
  • The end of season 2 turned the tables on the meek Ada and domineering Agnes when Agnes lost her fortune thanks to her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) trusting the wrong people.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Menial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/menial. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on menial

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!