Phrase guide

manual labor

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Work done by hand or using basic tools rather than by machines; usually physically demanding but (sometimes derogatory) unskilled labor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: manual work

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

labor done with the hands

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: manual labour

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: labor, labour, toil

Narrower terms: application, coating, covering, bodywork, handling, picking, planking, wiring

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: handearbeid — physical work
  • Chinese Mandarin: 手工勞動 /手工劳动 (shǒugōng láodòng) — physical work
  • Chinese Mandarin: 體力勞動 /体力劳动 (tǐlì láodòng) — physical work
  • Esperanto: manlaboro — physical work
  • Finnish: ruumiillinen työ — physical work
  • French: travail manuel — physical work
  • German: Handarbeit — physical work
  • Greek: χειρωνακτική εργασία (cheironaktikí ergasía) — physical work
  • Indonesian: kerja tangan — physical work
  • Irish: obair láimhe — physical work
  • Japanese: 肉体労働 (nikutai rōdō) — physical work
  • Old English: handweorc — physical work
  • Polish: praca fizyczna — physical work
  • Romanian: muncă manuală — physical work
  • Romanian: lucrare manuală — physical work
  • Romanian: muncă fizică — physical work
  • Russian: ручно́й труд (ručnój trud) — physical work
  • Russian: физи́ческий труд (fizíčeskij trud) — physical work
  • Swedish: kroppsarbete — physical work
  • Tamil: உடலுழைப்பு (uṭaluḻaippu) — physical work
  • Vietnamese: lao động chân tay — physical work
  • Vietnamese: lao động tay chân — physical work