nine-to-five
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or during the workday, especially the hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when offices are characteristically open for business.
the nine-to-five grind.
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of, reflecting, or exhibiting a lack of willingness to work beyond the required amount of time or with more than minimal effort.
With your nine-to-five mentality, you'll never get a promotion.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nine-to-five
First recorded in 1955–60
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.
Sick of her nine-to-five job, she found the email address for an outreach worker at Cambridge, who helped her get on a degree course in theatre and education.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
Studies have consistently shown that nonstandard work schedules -- working outside the traditional nine-to-five workday -- can negatively impact physical and mental health as well as social and family life.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2024
Just over 2.5 million followers later, he quit his nine-to-five and recently booked his first nationwide tour.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
Cousin Tye was one of the only dudes in my family that kept a nine-to-five and never wanted anything to do with street stuff.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2024
He hated all the people who lived in air-conditioned houses with the windows permanently sealed, and drove air-conditioned cars to nine-to-five jobs in air-conditioned office buildings that he said were little more than gussied-up prisons.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
