Meanings
plural drudges
- derogatorySomeone who works for (and may be taken advantage of by) someone else.
present singular third person drudges · participle present drudging · participle past drudged · past drudged
- intransitiveTo labour in (or as in) a low servile job.
Rise to our Toils and drudge away the day.
1682, Thomas Otway, Venice Preserv'd1 more example
He gradually rose in the estimation of the booksellers for whom he drudged.
1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Oliver Goldsmith”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nouna laborer who is obliged to do menial work
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰrewgʰ-
- Proto-Germanic*drugjaną
- Proto-West Germanic*druggjan
- Old English*dryċġan
- Middle Englishdruggen
- Englishdrudge
From Middle English druggen, perhaps from Old English *dryċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *druggjan, from Proto-Germanic *drugjaną, a denominative built to a lost noun *drugjaz (preserved in Old English Dryċġhelm), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewgʰ-; compare Old English drēogan (“to do; to suffer”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 幫傭 /帮佣, 僕人 /仆人
- 幫傭 /帮佣 (bāngyōng)person who works in a low job
- 僕人 /仆人 (púrén)person who works in a low job
- 為他人工作的人 /为他人工作的人 (wèi tārén gōngzuò de rén)person who works for someone else
- 被剝削的工人 /被剥削的工人 (bèi bōxuē de gōngrén)person who works for someone else
- 辛勤工作 (xīnqín gōngzuò)to labour as in a low servile job
Czech otročit
- otročitto labour as in a low servile job
Finnish raataja, renki
- raatajaperson who works in a low job
- renkiperson who works in a low job
- palkkarenkiperson who works for someone else
- raataato labour as in a low servile job
French serf, larbin
- serfperson who works in a low job
- larbinperson who works in a low job
- sous-merdeperson who works in a low job
- moins-que-rienperson who works in a low job
- valetperson who works for someone else
- laquaisperson who works for someone else
- larbinperson who works for someone else
German Hiwi, Sklave
- Hiwiperson who works in a low job
- Sklaveperson who works in a low job
- Lakaiperson who works in a low job
Hungarian gürcöl, robotol
- gürcölto labour as in a low servile job
- robotolto labour as in a low servile job
Irish sclábhaí
- sclábhaíperson who works in a low job
Māori kaitonotono, wheteke
- kaitonotonoperson who works in a low job
- whetekeperson who works in a low job
- tiaperson who works in a low job
- rōpāperson who works in a low job
- tūmauperson who works in a low job
- tūmouperson who works in a low job
- pāihiperson who works in a low job
Polish wół roboczy, wół roboczy
- wół roboczyperson who works in a low job
- wół roboczyperson who works for someone else
- harowaćto labour as in a low servile job
Russian чернорабо́чий, работя́га
- чернорабо́чий (černorabóčij)person who works in a low job
- работя́га (rabotjága)person who works in a low job
- раб (rab)person who works for someone else
- рабы́ня (rabýnja)person who works for someone else
- тяну́ть ля́мку (tjanútʹ ljámku)to labour as in a low servile job
Scottish Gaelic tràill, tràill
- tràillperson who works in a low job
- tràillperson who works for someone else
Spanish esclavo, lacayo
- esclavoperson who works in a low job
- lacayoperson who works in a low job
- curritoperson who works in a low job
Turkish köle
- köleperson who works in a low job
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with drudge
Cite this entry
drudge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drudge
“drudge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drudge. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drudge,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drudge.
Source: drudge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.