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.

---

Discover More

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Luddites

Casting Luddites as anti-technology has mired a historical labor uprising as a destructive tantrum thrown by fearful, hidebound cranks.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Quanta isn’t just an AI play and even Luddites can like the stock.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 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

He distinguished himself by his eloquent defence of the Luddites; but his most brilliant appearance was as one of the counsel for Queen Caroline.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various