Luddite

[luhd-ahyt]

noun

a member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment.

someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change.

Origin of Luddite

1805–15; after Ned Ludd, 18th-century Leicestershire worker who originated the idea; see -ite¹

Related formsLud·dism, Lud·dit·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for luddism

Historical Examples of luddism

Not the least remarkable feature of the story of Luddism is the part played by spies and agents provocateurs.
The London Mercury, Vol. I, Nos. 1-6, November 1919 to April 1920
Various

British Dictionary definitions for luddism

Luddite

noun English history

any of the textile workers opposed to mechanization who rioted and organized machine-breaking between 1811 and 1816

any opponent of industrial change or innovation

adjective

of or relating to the Luddites

Derived FormsLuddism, noun

Word Origin for Luddite

C19: alleged to be named after Ned Ludd, an 18th-century Leicestershire workman, who destroyed industrial machinery

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

Word Origin and History for luddism

Luddite

also luddite, 1811, from name taken by an organized band of weavers who destroyed machinery in Midlands and northern England 1811-16 for fear it would deprive them of work. Supposedly from Ned Ludd, a Leicestershire worker who in 1779 had done the same before through insanity (but that story first was told in 1847). Applied to modern rejecters of automation and technology from at least 1961. As an adjective from 1812.