"taskmaster" meaning in English

See taskmaster in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-us-taskmaster.oga Forms: taskmasters [plural]
Etymology: From task + master. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|task|master}} task + master Head templates: {{en-noun}} taskmaster (plural taskmasters)
  1. Someone who supervises workers, especially one who imposes hard or burdensome work. Categories (topical): People
    Sense id: en-taskmaster-en-noun-ZKFFT8b5 Disambiguation of People: 100 0 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hebrew translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 84 16 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 82 18 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 85 15 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 92 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 85 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Hebrew translations: 85 15
  2. (figuratively) A source of hard work or responsibility. Tags: figuratively
    Sense id: en-taskmaster-en-noun-7uU4j9o2
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Translations (Supervisor): надзирател (nadziratel) [masculine] (Bulgarian), Zuchtmeister [masculine] (German), Antreiber [masculine] (German), Aufseher [masculine] (German), נוֹגֵשׂ (nogés) [masculine] (Hebrew)
Disambiguation of 'Supervisor': 46 54

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "task",
        "3": "master"
      },
      "expansion": "task + master",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From task + master.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "taskmasters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "taskmaster (plural taskmasters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "84 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "85 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "92 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "86 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "85 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "85 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hebrew translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 3:7:",
          "text": "And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who supervises workers, especially one who imposes hard or burdensome work."
      ],
      "id": "en-taskmaster-en-noun-ZKFFT8b5",
      "links": [
        [
          "supervise",
          "supervise"
        ],
        [
          "worker",
          "worker"
        ],
        [
          "impose",
          "impose"
        ],
        [
          "hard",
          "hard"
        ],
        [
          "burdensome",
          "burdensome"
        ],
        [
          "work",
          "work"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 4, Charles Hugh Smith, What Happens When the Competent Opt Out?:",
          "text": "It all looked so easy when the competent were at the helm, but reality is a cruel taskmaster, and all the excuses that worked as an underling wear thin once the incompetent are in leadership roles.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A source of hard work or responsibility."
      ],
      "id": "en-taskmaster-en-noun-7uU4j9o2",
      "links": [
        [
          "source",
          "source"
        ],
        [
          "hard",
          "hard"
        ],
        [
          "work",
          "work"
        ],
        [
          "responsibility",
          "responsibility"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively) A source of hard work or responsibility."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-us-taskmaster.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/ff/En-us-taskmaster.oga/En-us-taskmaster.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/En-us-taskmaster.oga"
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  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "46 54",
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "nadziratel",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "надзирател"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "46 54",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Zuchtmeister"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "46 54",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Antreiber"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "46 54",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Aufseher"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "46 54",
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "nogés",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "נוֹגֵשׂ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "taskmaster"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "task",
        "3": "master"
      },
      "expansion": "task + master",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From task + master.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "taskmasters",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "taskmaster (plural taskmasters)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 3:7:",
          "text": "And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who supervises workers, especially one who imposes hard or burdensome work."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "supervise",
          "supervise"
        ],
        [
          "worker",
          "worker"
        ],
        [
          "impose",
          "impose"
        ],
        [
          "hard",
          "hard"
        ],
        [
          "burdensome",
          "burdensome"
        ],
        [
          "work",
          "work"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 4, Charles Hugh Smith, What Happens When the Competent Opt Out?:",
          "text": "It all looked so easy when the competent were at the helm, but reality is a cruel taskmaster, and all the excuses that worked as an underling wear thin once the incompetent are in leadership roles.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A source of hard work or responsibility."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "source",
          "source"
        ],
        [
          "hard",
          "hard"
        ],
        [
          "work",
          "work"
        ],
        [
          "responsibility",
          "responsibility"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively) A source of hard work or responsibility."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-us-taskmaster.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/ff/En-us-taskmaster.oga/En-us-taskmaster.oga.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/En-us-taskmaster.oga"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "nadziratel",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "надзирател"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Zuchtmeister"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Antreiber"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Aufseher"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "nogés",
      "sense": "Supervisor",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "נוֹגֵשׂ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "taskmaster"
}

Download raw JSONL data for taskmaster meaning in English (2.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-02-17 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-02 using wiktextract (ca09fec and c40eb85). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.