Sisyphean

[ sis-uh-fee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Sisyphus.
2. endless and unavailing, as labor or a task.

Sisyphean

/ ˌsɪsɪˈfiːən /

adjective

1. relating to Sisyphus
2. actually or seemingly endless and futile

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sisyphean¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Greek Sīsýphe(ios), Sī́syph(ios) + -eios adjective suffix; Sisyphus, -an

Example Sentences

Each of the 911 calls was the start of a Sisyphean routine.

From Los Angeles Times

Baas’s “Sweeper’s Clock,” is perfectly functional — could I view it on an Apple Watch? — but it also works as a meditation on the Sisyphean, 24/7 task of dealing with the trash we generate.

From New York Times

It’s a Sisyphean task: Workers must repair damage over and over again.

From Seattle Times

It’s remarkable the Sisyphean struggle it took, even in a blue state, to make these modest shifts away from a clearly draconian system.

From Seattle Times

Injuries turned the Clippers’ regular-season lineups into a revolving door and their ambitions of winning the franchise’s first NBA title increasingly Sisyphean.

From Los Angeles Times