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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 chain works to pay farmers a living wage and establish fair labor conditions in the West African countries most cocoa comes from.

From The Wall Street Journal

The businesswoman, who also delivered a new main stand and introduced a living wage for staff, stood down as chair earlier this month with Hearts top of the Scottish Premiership.

From BBC

Caritas Jersey CEO, Patrick Lynch, said the living wage was the minimum islanders needed "in order to thrive, and not just survive here in Jersey".

From BBC

The strategy aims to ensure all childcare staff are paid at least the real living wage - a voluntary pay rate set by the Living Wage Foundation.

From BBC

Reeves also announced increases in the minimum and living wage, but Lyons said: "Costs are passed onto others."

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.