1. hard, boring, or routine work that requires little skill
Usage: informal

Examples

• The interns were assigned all the donkeywork while the senior staff handled the important decisions.
• After years of doing donkeywork, she finally got promoted to a management position.
• Filing papers and data entry is just donkeywork, but someone has to do it.
• He complained that his job was nothing but donkeywork with no opportunity for advancement.
• The research project involved months of donkeywork before any meaningful results emerged.
• She automated the donkeywork so her team could focus on more strategic tasks.