adjective / noun
menial
MEE-nee-ul/ˈmiːniəl/
Doing or involving routine work regarded as low-status and requiring little skill.
The worker performs menial cleanup, scraping leftovers from one plate after another.
Etymology
Originally meaning “pertaining to a household,” menial came to describe household servants. That association shifted it toward lowly or servile work, underlying its modern low-status sense.
In context
sochiro started out doing menial tasks he gradually climbed his way up until he became a trusted mechanic
More examples
- The interns resent being assigned only menial tasks.
- Even menial jobs deserve fair pay and safe working conditions.
- He treats the staff as menials rather than skilled professionals.
Forms
menial · menials
Similar words
- unskilled
- Emphasizes lack of training rather than low social status.
- routine
- Emphasizes repetition and predictability without implying low status.
- lowly
- Emphasizes low rank or status, not necessarily simple work.