Definition

Noun: * Work, often of a trivial or routine nature, that is created or assigned primarily to keep someone occupied or to give the appearance of being busy, rather than to serve a meaningful purpose.

Usage

• The term is typically used in a critical or dismissive way to describe tasks that lack real value or productivity.
• It is often a compound noun used attributively (e.g., "make-work project," "make-work jobs").

Examples

• The manager assigned us make-work just to fill the time until the real project started.
• Many of the filing tasks felt like pointless make-work.
• The intern was given a series of make-work assignments.

Advanced Usage

• The concept is frequently discussed in critiques of bureaucratic inefficiency, where procedures generate make-work for employees.
• It can describe economic policies or projects criticized as being created primarily for employment statistics rather than genuine need.

Variants and Related Words

• Busywork (noun): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "make-work," especially in educational or office contexts to describe trivial tasks.
  • The teacher gave the students busywork to keep them quiet.

Synonyms

• Busywork
• Filler work
• Time-wasting work
• Non-productive work

Antonyms

• Productive work
• Meaningful work
• Essential tasks
• Value-adding activity

Noun

1. active work of little value
   • while he was waiting he filled the days with busywork