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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.

"We are demanding a living wage now, because what Delcy Rodriguez said last night is a joke," Mariela Diaz, a 65-year-old retiree, declared.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The company used the MIT living wage calculator to determine cost of living by region for single adults and families of four.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

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 • Mar. 13, 2026

A social action charity has welcomed the decision to increase the living wage in Jersey to £15.10 per hour in 2026.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

Soon the Rad Lab would have to pay its scientists a living wage.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.