Definition

Noun: 1. A supervisor of slaves at work: A person whose job was to oversee and force enslaved people to work, often through harsh methods. 2. A cruel employer who demands excessive work: A person in authority, such as a boss or manager, who makes people work extremely hard under severe pressure and without consideration for their well-being.

Usage

• The term is most commonly used in its figurative sense to describe a demanding boss or taskmaster.
• It carries a strong negative connotation, implying cruelty, exploitation, and a lack of humanity.
• It can be used directly to address someone ("You are such a slave driver!") or to describe them ("She works for a real slave driver").

Examples

• Historical/Literal Context:
  • The plantation's slave driver was feared by all the workers.
• Figurative/Modern Context:
  • My new manager is a slave driver; he expects us to work weekends without extra pay.
  • She drove her team like a slave driver to meet the impossible deadline.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used hyperbolically in informal contexts to complain about a demanding situation, even if the person in charge is not intentionally cruel.
  • I'm my own worst slave driver when preparing for exams.

Variants and Related Words

• Slave-driving (adj/n): Used to describe the behavior or methods of a slave driver.
  • He used slave-driving tactics to get the project finished.
• Taskmaster (n): A person who imposes a harsh or heavy workload. (This is a close synonym but can be slightly less severe in connotation than "slave driver").
• Overseer (n): A person who supervises others, especially workers. In historical contexts, this was often synonymous with a slave driver.

Synonyms

• Tyrant
• Martinet
• Hard taskmaster
• Exploiter

Related Idioms

• To drive someone like a slave: To force someone to work very hard without rest or mercy.
  • The coach drove the team like slaves during pre-season training.

Noun

1. a supervisor of slaves at work
2. a cruel employer who demands excessive work from the employees