skilled labor
Americannoun
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labor that requires special training for its satisfactory performance.
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the workers employed in such labor.
Etymology
Origin of skilled labor
First recorded in 1770–80
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.
At the same time, demand for skilled labor remains high.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026
Only a handful of emerging economies combine digital capability, a skilled labor force, and a meaningful export base in tech.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
In Lynn, Mass., shopkeepers consolidated skilled labor while distributing semiskilled work to households.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
If we reframe parenthood as a form of skilled labor instead of an innate instinct, we can find room for both men and women to excel as parents.
From Slate • Jun. 15, 2025
It has demanded an equal amount of careful planning, skilled labor, and close attention to the thousand details that go to the making of a completed whole.
From Harper's Round Table, August 6, 1895 by Various
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.
