Stakhanovite

American  

[stuh-kah-nuh-vahyt, -kan-uh-] / stəˈkɑ nəˌvaɪt, -ˈkæn ə- /

noun

1. a worker in the Soviet Union who regularly surpassed production quotas and was specially honored and rewarded.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a Stakhanovite or to Stakhanovism.

Etymology

Origin of Stakhanovite

Translation of Russian stakhánovets (1935), after Alekseǐ Grigorʾevich Stakhanov (1906–77), Soviet coal miner, whose productivity was the focus of a propaganda campaign; -ite ¹

Example Sentences

A few people yearn to be lotus-eaters, although the ones we hear about will be those Stakhanovite souls who tirelessly churn out a daily Substack newsletter about the joys of doing nothing.

From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2021

The Brits who lived through war and austerity and rationing were rewarded with the union of a Stakhanovite stiff and a handsome chancer.

From Slate • May 19, 2018

Under Stalin, the Donbas became the setting for the Stakhanovite movement, the forging of super-workers who could fulfill the Five-Year Plan in four years.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 28, 2016

A new word was born - Stakhanovets, in English "Stakhanovite" - meaning a person who works extremely hard.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2015

I don't know if it's the optimism or the Stakhanovite work ethic that is more impressive.

From The Guardian • Jun. 15, 2013