scaffolder

American  

[skaf-uhld-er, -ohld-] / ˈskæf əld ər, -oʊld- /

noun

1. a person who puts up scaffolding, a system of temporary connected platforms used to support workers and materials during construction, repair, or maintenance of a building.

   As a scaffolder I work both indoors and outdoors, often at extreme heights—it’s exciting, but physically demanding.

2. a teacher who practices the method of instruction known as scaffolding, in which the learner is supported in the application of each new skill until they can demonstrate it independently and use it to acquire the next skill.

   The scaffolder does not “teach” so much as model the task, manage the learning environment, and oversee activities.

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Etymology

Origin of scaffolder

First recorded in 1860–70; scaffold ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

"From working as a scaffolder in Port Talbot steelworks, to pulling on that famous red jersey," he said in his post.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

He was an unemployed scaffolder and as I was having work done on my house, we had this surreal conversation about types of scaffolding as I'd had it up on my house.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2023

When I spoke with the mystery sculptor, Paul Lewis, he was sitting on another beach in a remote area of Northern British Columbia after a day of work at his day job as a scaffolder.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022

It’s a fitness feedback loop that has ensnared Johnny Edwin, 22, a linebacker-size scaffolder from British Columbia, Canada.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2022

The navvy, the scaffolder, the costermonger, the cab-tout—innumerable would be the varieties of texture, of fold, of knot, observed in the ranks of unskilled labour.

From The Nether World by Gissing, George