busywork

[ biz-ee-wurk ]

noun

1. work assigned for the sake of looking or keeping busy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of busywork¹

First recorded in 1840–50; busy + work

Example Sentences

Although it can automate busywork, it may also replicate the harmful biases of the people who created it.

From Los Angeles Times

She made me start to believe that the busywork I might delegate to a machine is actually more human, and valuable, than I realized.

From New York Times

Lindell claims he's not trying to disrupt elections offices by overwhelming them with pointless busywork, but the timing and repetitiveness of the requests say otherwise.

From Salon

Kraemer said she sometimes resorted to doing “busywork that is mindless” to accumulate clicks.

From Seattle Times

Google Docs is getting an absolutely lovely feature that could cut down a lot of busywork when it comes to properly formatting your document: the ability to select multiple sections of text at once.

From The Verge