blue-collar

[ bloo-kol-er ]

/ ˈbluˈkɒl ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blue-collar ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to wage-earning workers who wear work clothes or other specialized clothing on the job, as mechanics, longshoremen, and miners.Compare white-collar.

noun

a blue-collar worker.

Nearby words

blue-arsed fly, blue-black, blue-blooded, blue-breasted quail, blue-chip, blue-collar, blue-curls, blue-eyed, blue-eyed boy, blue-eyed grass, blue-eyed mary

Origin of blue-collar

First recorded in 1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blue-collar

“There are a lot of really hard-working, blue-collar people on this train,” she says.
Leaky Ceilings, Catcalls, and Uncaged Pythons: 4 Hours on NYC’s Worst Subway|Kevin Zawacki|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Louie encounters a blue-collar maintenance worker who tells him a joke about Pinocchio—incorrectly.
Why Is Louis C.K. So Funny? He Uses Humor as a Moral Compass.|Andrew Romano|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The value of blue-collar expertise is accepted without question.
The Smartest Book About Our Digital Age Was Published in 1929|Ted Gioia|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, he grew up in a blue-collar family.
Andrew Dice Clay on ‘Blue Jasmine,’ His Alleged Misogyny, and More|Marlow Stern|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST

“It puts pressure on the white-collar worker rather than on the blue-collar worker,” he said.
American Apparel’s Dov Charney on the Bangladesh Tragedy|Daniel Gross|May 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They have included highly qualified professionals and blue-collar workers, PhD.s.
Marriage Enrichment Retreats|David Mace
Four-fifths of all women working in industry were in blue-collar jobs.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
In industry, the proportion of women in blue-collar and white-collar jobs was about equal.
Area Handbook for Romania|Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
The next level is made up of blue-collar industrial workers, who constitute the largest group in the society.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

British Dictionary definitions for blue-collar

blue-collar

adjective

of, relating to, or designating manual industrial workersa blue-collar union Compare white-collar, pink-collar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for blue-collar

blue-collar

A descriptive term widely used for manual laborers, as opposed to white-collar for office workers.

Note

The term is often associated with conservative values.

blue-collar

adjective

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of blue-collar

Examples from the Web for blue-collar

British Dictionary definitions for blue-collar

blue-collar

adjective

Culture definitions for blue-collar

blue-collar

Note