Luddite

[ luhd-ahyt ]

/ ˈlʌd aɪt /

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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.

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Origin of Luddite

First recorded in 1805–15; supposedly after Ned Ludd, 18th-century Leicestershire worker who in a fit of rage destroyed mechanical knitting machines; see -ite¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Luddite

Luddism, Lud·dit·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Luddite in a sentence

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 Luddite

Luddite

/ (ˈlʌdaɪt) /

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 forms of Luddite

Luddism, 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