Luddites

Cultural  

1. Opponents of the introduction of labor-saving machinery. The original Luddites, followers of a legendary Ned Ludd, were British laborers of the early nineteenth century who smashed textile-making machines that threatened their jobs.

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Contemporary opponents of technological change are sometimes called “Luddites.”

Example Sentences

The original Luddites—English textile workers who objected to mechanical looms and destroyed them in protest—believed they were fighting for their very existence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sen. Bernie Sanders has embraced the Luddites’ cause, calling for taxes on robots.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Luddites, a movement of 19th-century textile workers who resisted the automation of their trade, didn’t hate all technology, or progress, as is commonly misunderstood — they opposed technology that was hurtful to society at large.

From Los Angeles Times

Although the dictionary also mentions that Luddites were a real 19th Century movement, this is not the main way in which people use the term.

From Salon

Observers, reporters, and even the Hollywood workers themselves began to refer to the strikers as Luddites.

From Los Angeles Times