work-life balance

American

[wurk-lahyf bal-uhns] / ˈwɜrkˈlaɪf ˌbæl əns /

Or work/life balance

noun

a situation in which one divides or balances one's time between work and activities outside of work.

It's hard to achieve a reasonable work-life balance when you run your own business.

Etymology

Origin of work-life balance

First recorded in 1975–80

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.

See Examples For:

work-life balance

You said the company values work-life balance; I am therefore going to yoga.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

All have a great "work-life balance", with work time limited to around 30-45 minutes a day, he added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Meanwhile, they work from home, make six figures, have a good work-life balance and can take breaks pretty much whenever they want.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

"Short-notice changes of duty and a requirement to work overtime often had negative effects on officers' work-life balance and contributed to stress and anxiety," the report said.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

A camp of Gen Z has clung to the dream of work-life balance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023