Meaning & use
Sisyphean
Last updated
Describing a task that is endless, laborious, and ultimately futile, no matter how much effort is applied.
See it in a sentence
Clearing your email inbox can feel like a Sisyphean task.
The team faced the Sisyphean challenge of rebuilding after every setback undid their progress.
A note on using this word
The word comes from Sisyphus, a figure in Greek mythology condemned to eternally roll a boulder uphill only to have it roll back down.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
achievablestraightforward
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