OpenSynonym

labor

/ˈleɪbər/

NOUN

1. Physical or mental work requiring effort

Work involving physical or mental effort, especially work that is difficult, tiring, demanding, or performed to achieve a productive result.

1.1. Hard physical or manual work

Refers to demanding physical work that requires strength, energy, and sustained effort, particularly work performed with the hands or body.

Synonyms

  • toil
  • manual work
  • manual labor
  • drudgery
  • exertion
  • donkeywork
  • elbow grease
  • sweat
  • grind
  • travail
  • moil

Antonyms

Examples

  • The construction of the bridge required years of hard labor.
  • Farm labor becomes particularly demanding during the harvest season.
  • The workers completed the task through months of intensive manual labor.

Related Words

1.2. Mental effort and sustained application

Refers to the mental effort, concentration, and persistence required to complete a difficult intellectual or creative task.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • The research required considerable intellectual labor.
  • Writing the book involved years of painstaking labor.
  • Her success was the result of patience, dedication, and labor.

Related Words

NOUN

2. Workers considered as a social or economic class

People who perform manual or wage-earning work, considered collectively as a social or economic group.

2.1. The working class and wage-earning population

Refers to people who earn their living through physical or other paid work, especially those belonging to the working class.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • Organized labor demanded better wages and safer working conditions.
  • The shortage of skilled labor affected the manufacturing industry.
  • The policy was designed to protect the interests of labor.

Related Words

NOUN

3. A task, project, or undertaking requiring effort

A particular piece of work, task, or undertaking that must be performed or completed and may require considerable time and effort.

3.1. A demanding task or undertaking

Refers to a job, assignment, or project that requires work, effort, or perseverance to accomplish.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • Restoring the old building was a labor of love for the volunteers.
  • Completing the extensive research project proved to be a difficult labor.
  • The assignment was a considerable labor that required careful planning.

Related Words

NOUN

4. The process of childbirth

The physiological process of giving birth, involving uterine contractions and the delivery of a baby.

4.1. The physical process of giving birth

Refers to the period during which uterine contractions help the mother deliver a baby, from the onset of labor until childbirth is completed.

Synonyms

Examples

  • She went into labor two weeks before her expected delivery date.
  • The mother experienced several hours of labor before giving birth.
  • The medical team monitored the progress of labor carefully.

Related Words

NOUN

5. An organized movement representing workers' interests

An organized group or collective movement of workers seeking to improve their working conditions, wages, rights, and social or economic position through united action.

5.1. Trade unionism and collective worker representation

Refers to organized workers and their collective efforts to protect employment interests, negotiate better conditions, and promote workers' rights.

Synonyms

  • labor movement
  • trade union movement
  • trade unionism
  • unionism
  • labor union
  • trade union
  • organized labor
  • workers' movement

Examples

  • The labor movement campaigned for safer workplaces and fair wages.
  • Organized labor played an important role in improving workers' rights.
  • The trade union movement gained support among industrial workers.

Related Words

VERB

6. Striving or making an effort to achieve something

To make sustained physical or mental effort in order to accomplish a goal, overcome difficulties, or achieve a desired result.

6.1. Striving toward a goal

Refers to making determined efforts to achieve an objective, overcome obstacles, or bring about a particular result.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

  • The team labored to complete the project before the deadline.
  • She labored for years to establish a successful business.
  • They labored toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Related Words

6.2. Working hard or performing strenuous tasks

Refers to working continuously and with considerable effort, often under difficult or tiring conditions.

Synonyms

  • toil
  • work
  • drudge
  • grind
  • moil
  • fag
  • plod
  • slave
  • trudge
  • travail
  • slog

Antonyms

  • rest
  • relax
  • repose
  • loaf
  • idle

Examples

  • The farmers labored in the fields from sunrise until sunset.
  • She labored tirelessly to finish the manuscript.
  • The workers labored under difficult conditions throughout the winter.

Related Words

6.3. Experiencing or undergoing childbirth

Refers to being in the process of giving birth and experiencing the physical contractions and effort associated with childbirth.

Synonyms

Examples

  • The expectant mother labored for several hours before delivery.
  • She labored through the night before giving birth to her child.
  • The mare labored before delivering a healthy foal.

Related Words