Luddites

Cultural  

1. Opponents of the introduction of labor-saving machinery. The original Luddites, followers of a legendary Ned Ludd, were British laborers of the early nineteenth century who smashed textile-making machines that threatened their jobs.

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Contemporary opponents of technological change are sometimes called “Luddites.”

Example Sentences

The Gray Lady’s dreary Luddites are as suspicious of Times management as they are of Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Neither technologists nor Luddites, these leaders share a taste for challenging the status quo and a resolute determination to fix something that matters—and are willing to learn whatever is necessary to do it.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Call me a Luddite, but I’ll take it as a compliment—after all, Luddites started the original rebellion against Big Tech.

From Slate • Dec. 26, 2023

De La Torre was never judgmental during our one-hour chat, and his final answer about Luddites like me was perfectly rational — even empathetic.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2023

Such affairs as the Luddites do not occur twice in a century, and as for Spafields riots, they are impossible now with Peel's new police.

From Endymion by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield