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Synonyms

living wage

American  

noun

  1. a wage on which it is possible for a wage earner or an individual and their family to live at least according to minimum customary standards.

living wage British  

noun

  1. a wage adequate to permit a wage earner to live and support a family in reasonable comfort

"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

Etymology

Origin of living wage

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The strategy also aims to ensure all childcare staff are paid at least the real living wage - a voluntary pay rate set by the Living Wage Foundation - currently £13.45 an hour outside London.

From BBC

An hourly wage of $30 amounts to an annual salary of $62,400, still short of living wage standards by some measures.

From The Wall Street Journal

It provides paid work experience at the London living wage to homeless people, disabled people, and prison leavers.

From BBC

But in 2024, the firm faced a backlash after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.

From BBC

In 2024, the firm faced a backlash after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.