fagging
/ˈfæɡɪŋ/
NOUN
1. Working hard or performing exhausting labor
The act of working strenuously or persistently, especially at a difficult, tiring, or unpleasant task.
1.1. Strenuous work or labor
Refers to prolonged or demanding physical or mental effort that requires considerable energy and persistence.
Synonyms
- toiling
- laboring
- drudgery
- slogging
- struggling
- grinding
- travailing
- moiling
Antonyms
- resting
- relaxing
- idling
- loafing
- slacking
Examples
- The constant fagging left the workers physically exhausted.
Related Words
1.2. Tedious or exhausting duties
Describes repetitive, unpleasant, or demanding tasks that require considerable effort and become tiresome.
Synonyms
- drudgery
- toil
- hard labor
- grind
- menial work
Antonyms
Examples
- He was tired of the endless fagging involved in maintaining the old building.
Related Words
NOUN
2. Serving older students in traditional British schools
The historical practice in British public schools whereby younger pupils performed menial duties or personal services for older students.
2.1. Junior pupils serving senior students
Refers to the traditional school system in which younger boys were expected to perform chores, run errands, and provide services for older boys or prefects.
Synonyms
- servitude
- subservience
- menial service
- faggery
Antonyms
- independence
- equality
- freedom
Examples
- The school eventually abolished fagging because it encouraged an unfair hierarchy between younger and older pupils.
Related Words
- school hierarchy
- junior pupils
- senior students
- boarding school tradition
VERB
3. Becoming tired or causing exhaustion
The process of becoming weary through excessive effort or causing someone to become exhausted by prolonged work or strain.
3.1. Becoming physically or mentally tired
Describes gradually becoming exhausted, weary, or depleted after prolonged activity or excessive effort.
Synonyms
- tiring
- wearying
- fatiguing
- wearing
- exhausting
- wearing out
- outwearing
Antonyms
- refreshing
- invigorating
- energizing
- reviving
Examples
- The long hours of physical work were fagging him considerably.
Related Words
- depleting
- weakening
- draining
- overexerting
3.2. Performing menial duties for older pupils
Describes the act of serving older students by carrying out chores or other subordinate tasks under the historical British school fagging system.
Synonyms
- serving
- attending
- waiting on
Examples
- The younger boys were fagging for the senior pupils at the boarding school.