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⇱ MENIAL Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

menial

American  
[mee-nee-uhl, meen-yuhl] / ˈmi ni əl, ˈmin yəl /

adjective

  1. lowly and sometimes degrading.

    menial work.
    Antonyms:
    dignified

  2. servile; submissive.

    menial attitudes.
    Synonyms:
    fawning
    Antonyms:
    proud

  3. pertaining to or suitable for domestic servants; humble.

    menial furnishings.

noun

  1. a domestic servant.

    Synonyms:
    lackey, hireling, underling, attendant

  2. a servile person.

menial British  
/ ˈmiːnɪəl /

adjective

  1. consisting of or occupied with work requiring little skill, esp domestic duties such as cleaning

  2. of, involving, or befitting servants

  3. servile

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a domestic servant

  2. a servile person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See servile.

Other Word Forms

  • menially adverb
  • nonmenial adjective
  • nonmenially adverb
  • unmenial adjective
  • unmenially adverb

Etymology

Origin of menial

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English meynyal, from Anglo-French me(i)nial; meiny, -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While robots may be able to take over menial tasks, humans will be needed to supervise and repair complex fleets.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

Venezuelans, many working here in menial jobs despite their education, could return to their cities of birth and rebuild their lives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

Luke has been waiting 65 years, doing menial work as a bartender in the Junction, hoping to be reunited with his love.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025

The highly-publicised Neo from tech firm 1X, slated to launch in 2026, can do menial chores like emptying the dishwasher, folding clothes and fetching you items.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

Mr. Lyons had been a famous football star at Mason High School, was highly thought of in Mason, and consequently he now worked around that town in menial jobs.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.