work ethic

[ wurk-eth-ik ]

/ ˈwɜrk ˌɛθ ɪk /

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noun

a belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its inherent ability to strengthen character.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of work ethic

First recorded in 1950–55

Words nearby work ethic

worker director, worker participation, worker-priest, workers' compensation insurance, workers' cooperative, work ethic, Work expands to fill the time available for its completion, workfare, work farm, workflow, workfolk

How to use work ethic in a sentence

Amid a surge of progressive moralism, many believed that betting harmed the poor, degraded the national work ethic and undermined Christian values.
Sports gambling could be the pandemic’s biggest winner|Jonathan D. Cohen|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
The Chiefs saw potential in his work ethic and his 6-foot-5, 321-pound frame, and by 2016 he became a force as a guard on their offensive line.
His team is going to the Super Bowl. He’s staying on the coronavirus front lines.|Adam Kilgore|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Ingrained with that work ethic, Yancy took chances to rise to the top, even leaving senior jobs at Ford Motor Company and Burger King to later become a director at AmFam.
The Women Reshaping the C-Suite|Nick Fouriezos|January 24, 2021|Ozy
That’s a testament to the same skill, work ethic and unyielding spirit that allowed him to become a trailblazer in countless other ways.
Nobody — And We Mean Nobody — Was Consistently Great Like Hank Aaron|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|January 22, 2021|FiveThirtyEight

The coach said at the time he did it to push for the NFC East title, but it later became clear the decision was more about concerns over Haskins’s preparation and work ethic.
Washington football timeline: From Ron Rivera hiring to playoff exit|Sam Fortier|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
Mr. Bachner said it had been hard to introduce his work ethic and share his vision with the locals and his team.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The GOP should embrace the work ethic as its mantra, and this time act like they mean it.
Bush, Christie, Romney: Who’ll Be the GOP Class Warrior?|Lloyd Green|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At that age I had little leverage other than work ethic, intense loyalty to the president, and the strength of my ideas.
The Valerie Jarrett I Know: How She Saved the Obama Campaign and Why She’s Indispensable|Joshua DuBois|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We have that opportunity right now to do what we did when we were younger but with the minds we have now and the work ethic.
Not a Liquid Dream: O-Town's Back, Baby. But Where’s Ashley?|Melissa Leon|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Americans come from many backgrounds, but one thing most of us share is a work ethic.
It’s Not the USA that Made Libya the Disaster it is Today|Ann Marlowe|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for work ethic

work ethic

noun

a belief in the moral value of work (often in the phrase Protestant work ethic)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012