Dictionary.com

Luddite

[ luhd-ahyt ]
/ ˈlʌd aɪt /

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

Words nearby Luddite

Lucullus, Lucy, Lucy Stoner, lud, Lüda, Luddite, Luddites, lude, Ludendorff, Lüdenscheid, luderick
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for Luddite

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