Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Monotonous or tedious work; drudgery.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun hard menial routine work.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun hard monotonous routine work

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Such donkeywork proved so tiring to East German spymaster Markus Wolf that he told one of his American moles to slow down, my Washington Post colleague Peter Finn recalled for me today:

    Red spymaster recalled agony of copying stolen documents 2010

  • After first demonstrating their skills doing some donkeywork, players are quickly lured to escort and combat missions.

    The game retail industry according to MCV 2009

  • "But such is the game, South Africa put on some good partnerships and, playing four bowlers, I have to do my share of the donkeywork."

    iac world news feed 2009

  • Arranging a bouquet she’d bought at the farmer’s market that was held on the town green every Saturday, straightening the haphazard stack of cookbooks that had collected in the beach house over the years including one that had to have been a gift to her Uncle Freddie and featured only recipes with beer, even the donkeywork of polishing the silver was satisfying.

    Fly Away Home Jennifer Weiner 2010

  • Arranging a bouquet she’d bought at the farmer’s market that was held on the town green every Saturday, straightening the haphazard stack of cookbooks that had collected in the beach house over the years including one that had to have been a gift to her Uncle Freddie and featured only recipes with beer, even the donkeywork of polishing the silver was satisfying.

    Fly Away Home Jennifer Weiner 2010

  • Oh, and the donkeywork is done by ones PhD student who is now to busy to archive, and one obviously wouldn’t stoop to that sort of thing oneself.

    Wilson et al 2007 « Climate Audit 2007

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