real wages

[ree-uhl, reel]

plural noun

Economics.

1. wages estimated not in money but in purchasing power.

real wages

plural noun

1. economics wages evaluated with reference to their purchasing power rather than to the money actually paid Compare money wages

real wages

1. Wages adjusted for the prevailing level of consumer prices. (See also constant dollars.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of real wages¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

They have each advanced a neoliberal gangster capitalist regime that has seen the financialization of almost every aspect of American life; a decline in intergenerational mobility and real wages; and a regime of globalization.

From Salon

"We're going to get to a place where America makes stuff again, real wages are going to be up, profits are going to be up".

From BBC

Real wages have been growing for a year-and-a-half running.

From Salon

Frustrating to Democratic stalwarts is the fact that not all voters have been moved by improving economic indicators, with the buying power of “real wages” growing nationally over the last year.

From Los Angeles Times

According to a much-cited academic study by Alan S. Blinder and Mark W. Watson, that’s been true at least since from the Truman administration through Barack Obama’s first term, and is true in every major economic category: GDP growth, job creation, unemployment, growth in real wages and controlling inflation.

From Salon

Related Words

• net income