manual labor
Toil by hand
Manual labor is physical work done with the hands and body rather than the mind—construction, farming, factory work, hauling.
The term often carries class connotations, distinguishing blue-collar work from white-collar or professional occupations: He spent summers doing manual labor on his uncle's ranch.
Also spelled manual labour in British English.
Hard, boring work
- exertionVigorous physical effort
- fatigueWeariness from prolonged exertion
- grindCrush into particles
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
sweat · weariness · effort · grueling · arduous · backbreaking · exhaustion · strain
Skilled manual tradesperson
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
- carpentryWood construction trade
- blacksmithingForging iron by hand
masonry · bricklaying · stonework · welding · plumbing · roofing · tiling · plastering
Manual labor workforce
- working classManual laborers collectively
- hired handPaid manual worker
- unskilledLacking acquired competence
- semiskilledHaving limited training
tradesman · journeyman · apprentice · wage · hourly · union · contractor · subcontractor
drudgery
Hard, boring work
hardship · sweat · weariness · effort · grueling · arduous · backbreaking · exhaustion · strain · overtime
artisan
Skilled manual tradesperson
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
- carpentryWood construction trade
blacksmithing · masonry · bricklaying · stonework · welding · plumbing · roofing · tiling · plastering · cabinetry
blue-collar
Manual labor workforce
- working classManual laborers collectively
- hired handPaid manual worker
- unskilledLacking acquired competence
semiskilled · tradesman · journeyman · apprentice · wage · hourly · union · contractor · subcontractor · crew
lifting
Raising something heavy
shoveling · loading · unloading · pushing · pulling · hoisting · stacking · moving · clearing · breaking
plowing
Turning earth for crops
- harvestingGathering mature crops
- plantingPlacing seeds in earth
- weedingExtracting undesired vegetation
mowing · raking · tilling · pruning · picking · threshing · baling · hoeing · sowing · fencing
- smallholder farmingsubsistence farming, smallholders, smallholdings, family farms, hand tools
- workjob, 9 to 5, jobs, employee, profession
- laborwork, workers, hard work, employment, effort
- manual laborfarming, lifting, carrying, shoveling, loading
- blue collarhard hat, blue collar, blue-collar jobs, factory work, work boots
- blue-collarblue collar, blue-collar, factory worker, construction worker, hard hat
manual laboroffice work
Administrative job tasks
desk job · brainwork · desk work · clerical work · paperwork
manual laborleisure
Free time for relaxation
rest · relaxation · idleness · recreation · repose
labor, manual, laborer, labored, manufacture, laboring, laborers, laborious, manuals