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View synonyms for workday

workday

[ wurk-dey ]

noun

  1. a day on which work is done; working day.
  2. the part of a day during which one works.
  3. the length of time during a day on which one works:

    a seven-hour workday.



adjective

workday

/ ˈwɜːkˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. the usual US term for working day
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. another word for workaday
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of workday1

1400–50; late Middle English werkday, Old English weorcdæg. See work, day
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Example Sentences

I also have a terrible habit of returning to bed shortly after waking to rest for a bit more before starting the workday.

The report argues that the reforms could lead to fewer lost workdays, if employees feel less anxious about their pay and working conditions.

From BBC

Monday, September 23 doesn't merely mark the first workday of the autumn season.

From Salon

The community is split on the store’s move, and employees are speaking out about how disruptive the change has been to their workday.

But when one relieved the other, they were expected to provide a shift “pass down,” detailing what their workday had entailed.

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More About Workday

What does workday mean?

A workday is any day that you work. Most commonly, workday refers to one of the days in the workweek, the span of (often five) days that are not the weekend and when many people work.

The standard workweek is from Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday being considered the weekend, though working schedules vary widely. Many full-time jobs involve a 40-hour workweek consisting of five eight-hour workdays. In this sense, workweek refers to all the time spent working in a week, and a workday refers to the hours spent working in a day.

Workday sometimes refers just to the part of the day that you work, as in After the workday, I like to unwind by taking a walk around the lake before I go home for the night. 

The word workday is sometimes used to distinguish it from other nonwork days during a certain period, as in My vacation is 11 days away—and only eight workdays!

The workweek can also be called the working week, and a workday can also be called a working day.

Workday is sometimes used as an adjective meaning commonplace, ordinary, or everyday, as in It has average, workday features—nothing special. The variant workaday is more commonly used to mean the same thing.

Example: My workday consists of catching up on emails for the first hour or so, and then I’m in meetings for several hours, leaving me an hour or two to get some actual work done.

Where does workday come from?

The word workday has been used since at least the 1300s.

Many workers associate the workday with the eight or so hours they have to work five days a week, but the eight-hour workday and the 40-hour workweek are relatively new concepts. In fact, some of the first recorded references to the term workweek discuss a 60-hour workweek consisting of six, 10-hour workdays—for children. And this was considered an improvement over previous working conditions.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for workday?

What are some words that share a root or word element with workday

What are some words that often get used in discussing workday?

How is workday used in real life?

A full-time workweek commonly consists of five eight-hour workdays, but a workday can refer to any day—or part of a day—during which a person works.

 

Try using workday!

Is workday used correctly in the following sentence? 

Sometimes my workday extends into the night—I need to remind myself to take a break.

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