Meanings
plural taskmasters
- Someone who supervises workers, especially one who imposes hard or burdensome work.
And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 3:7 - figurativelyA source of hard work or responsibility.
1 more example
Everyone knows the enthusiasm is inauthentic and only for show, but artifice and inauthenticity are perfectly adequate for the politicization taskmasters. […] It all looked so easy when the competent were at the helm, but reality is a cruel taskmaster, and all the excuses that worked as an underling wear thin once the incompetent are in leadership roles.
2023 June 4, Charles Hugh Smith, What Happens When the Competent Opt Out?, archived from the original on 23 Nov 2023 - Someone who is capable of performing many tasks; a multitasker.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian надзирател
- надзирател (nadziratel)supervisor
German Zuchtmeister, Antreiber
- Zuchtmeistersupervisor
- Antreibersupervisor
- Aufsehersupervisor
Hebrew נוֹגֵשׂ
- נוֹגֵשׂ (nogés)supervisor
Polish nadzorca, nadzorczyni
- nadzorcasupervisor
- nadzorczynisupervisor
Cite this entry
taskmaster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taskmaster
“taskmaster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taskmaster. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taskmaster,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taskmaster.
Source: taskmaster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.