Schéma d’usage :
[menial] [work/task/job/duty]
He started his career doing menial tasks like filing and making copies.
Pályáját olyan egyszerű, alacsony presztízsű feladatokkal kezdte, mint az iratok rendezése és a másolatok készítése.
After the injury, she was stuck in a menial job that left her exhausted.
A sérülése után egy alacsony presztízsű munkában ragadt, amely teljesen kimerítette.
The interns complained about being given menial work instead of real projects.
Exemples pédagogiques
I had to do menial work all afternoon.
Egész délután alantas munkát kellett végeznem.
This job is menial and repetitive.
Ez a munka alacsony presztízsű és ismétlődő.
Erreur fréquente :
Menial does not mean "small" or "minor"; it means low-status and routine.
Sens
low-status, routine work
Collocations
menial tasks
|menial work
|menial job
|menial duties
|menial labor
|menial chores
|menial role
|menial position
|menial staff
|menial employment
Synonymes
unskilled (Focuses on needing little training or skill.)
|
lowly (Emphasizes low social status or importance.)
|
routine (Emphasizes repetition more than low status.)
|
humble (Often less negative; can sound respectful.)
Antonymes
skilled (Requires training or expertise.)
|
professional (Associated with specialized knowledge and higher status.)
|
prestigious (Seen as high-status and admired.)
Thèmes
work
|social_class
|daily_life
Définition
Menial work is simple, boring work that people do at the lowest level.
(Of work or duties) involving simple, routine tasks that require little skill and are considered low in status, often boring or unpleasant.
Schéma d’usage :
a [menial]
He spoke to the staff as if they were menials.
Úgy beszélt a személyzettel, mintha szolgák lennének.
In the novel, the wealthy family treated their menials harshly.
A regényben a gazdag család kegyetlenül bánt a szolgáival.
She refused to be a menial in someone else’s household.
Exemples pédagogiques
He treated me like a menial.
Úgy bánt velem, mintha a csicskája lennék.
Erreur fréquente :
Because this noun is insulting, learners may prefer neutral words like worker, assistant, or staff member.
Sens
person doing low-status work
Collocations
a menial
|hired menials
|treat someone like a menial
|household menial
|office menial
Synonymes
drudge (Highlights exhausting, thankless work.)
|
servant (Neutral in some contexts, but can overlap historically.)
|
underling (Emphasizes low rank in an organization more than the type of work.)
Antonymes
professional (Has specialized training and higher status.)
|
manager (Supervises others rather than doing routine tasks.)
Thèmes
work
|people
|social_class
Définition
A menial is a person who does very low-status work (often an insulting word).
A person employed to do simple, routine, low-status work, often physical or service work; usually a disparaging term.