Luddite
[luhd-ahyt]
- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for luddite
Contemporary Examples
Though I have a reputation for being a Luddite, I actually love the new digital technology and its artistic possibilities.
Confessions of a Blasphemer: Sherman Alexie Talks New Book, Indian Humor and MoreJane Ciabattari
October 17, 2012
They have a weirdly jubilant streak that defuses any hint of a Luddite subtext.
Luddite Rantings: A Historical Critique of Big Technology.
Historical Examples
Anyhow from that time the Luddite conspiracy ceased to be formidable.
Through the FrayG. A. Henty
Not unnaturally, without work and without food, these handworkers The Luddite riots.
A History of England, Period III.Rev. J. Franck Bright
During the autumn and winter of 1811 "Luddite" riots broke out among the stocking-weavers of Nottingham.
The Political History of England - Vol XIGeorge Brodrick
After this wholesale act of severity the Luddite disturbances soon came to an end.
Through the FrayG. A. Henty
Still the Luddite Riots must not be forgotten, for, at one time, they threatened to be somewhat serious.
Social England under the Regency, Vol. 1 (of 2)John Ashton.
Luddite
- 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
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- of or relating to the Luddites
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for luddite
Luddite
n.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper