blue-collar

[bloo-kol-er]

adjective

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

noun

1. a blue-collar worker.

blue-collar

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating manual industrial workers Compare white-collar pink-collar

   a blue-collar union

blue-collar

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

The term is often associated with conservative values.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blue-collar¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

By 1956, white-collar workers outnumbered blue-collar workers for the first time—marking the transition to a service economy.

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The truck’s futuristic design is also less geared toward the blue-collar workers who tend to buy pickups, which are usually marketed as rugged work vehicles.

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Cinema has a long love affair with the office but occasionally spotlights blue-collar workplaces.

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It is looking for electrical and mechanical engineers, software developers and project managers, as well as skilled blue-collar workers such as machine and plant operators, welding technicians and aircraft mechanics.

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The Texas sisters’ divergent career paths reflect the shifting dynamics: White-collar jobs that once seemed solid are no longer so, and some skilled blue-collar work is looking like a safer bet.

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Related Words

• apprentice 
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