blue-collar

[bloo-kol-er]

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.

Origin of blue-collar

First recorded in 1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for blue-collar

Contemporary Examples

And right now, working-class and blue-collar whites think the Democratic Party is just implacably against them.
Inside the Democrats’ Godawful Midterm Election Wipeout
Michael Tomasky
November 5, 2014
“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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

They have included highly qualified professionals and blue-collar workers, PhD.s.
Marriage Enrichment Retreats
David Mace
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
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

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

blue-collar in Culture

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

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Examples from the Web for blue-collar

Contemporary Examples

And right now, working-class and blue-collar whites think the Democratic Party is just implacably against them.

“There are a lot of really hard-working, blue-collar people on this train,” she says.

Louie encounters a blue-collar maintenance worker who tells him a joke about Pinocchio—incorrectly.

The value of blue-collar expertise is accepted without question.

Born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, he grew up in a blue-collar family.

Historical Examples

They have included highly qualified professionals and blue-collar workers, PhD.s.

In industry, the proportion of women in blue-collar and white-collar jobs was about equal.

The next level is made up of blue-collar industrial workers, who constitute the largest group in the society.

Four-fifths of all women working in industry were in blue-collar jobs.

blue-collar

blue-collar

Note

Origin of blue-collar