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work ethic

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

Origin of work ethic

First recorded in 1950–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for work ethic

work ethic

noun
  1. 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