Sisyphean
adjective /ˌsɪsɪˈfiːən/ — Endlessly futile — effort that never reaches its goal.
Definition
Of or relating to Sisyphus; denoting a task that can never be completed; endlessly and futilely laborious.
Beyond the definition
Sisyphus was condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity — it always rolls back before he reaches the top. Sisyphean describes any task with that specific quality: effort that never resolves, work that always regenerates, a condition that cannot be fixed. Albert Camus wrote that we must imagine Sisyphus happy — the absurdist's answer to futility.
Origin & history
From Sisyphus, king of Corinth, condemned by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity as punishment for his craftiness and deceitfulness. The myth appears in Homer.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Keeping the inbox at zero felt Sisyphean — every cleared email was replaced by three more.
He'd been locked in a Sisyphean negotiation for six months, the same points cycling endlessly.
Camus argued the Sisyphean condition is the human condition — and that clarity about this is a form of freedom.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Sisyphean” when the meaning fits your context: Of or relating to Sisyphus; denoting a task that can never be completed; endlessly and futilely laborious.
Synonyms
futile, endless, unwinnable, Herculean (ironically), thankless
Antonyms
conclusive, rewarding, achievable
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
The inbox was never empty. He processed it every morning before 9am — replies sent, flags cleared, folders organised — and by 11am it had refilled. By afternoon it exceeded what it had been that morning.
He had been doing this for nineteen years. He was not bad at his job. He was, if anything, too good at it — his responsiveness had made him the first port of call for everything.
"The myth," his daughter said at dinner, "is that Sisyphus suffered. Maybe he just got very good at pushing." He considered this. He went to bed that night and found, somehow, that the inbox bothered him slightly less.
Questions about this word
What does "Sisyphean" mean?
Sisyphean is adjective meaning: Endlessly futile — effort that never reaches its goal.. Of or relating to Sisyphus; denoting a task that can never be completed; endlessly and futilely laborious.
Where does the word "Sisyphean" come from?
From Sisyphus, king of Corinth, condemned by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity as punishment for his craftiness and deceitfulness. The myth appears in Homer.