blue-collar

[ bloo-kol-er ]

adjective

1. of or relating to wage-earning workers who wear work clothes or other specialized clothing on the job, as mechanics, longshoremen, and miners. Compare white-collar.

noun

1. a blue-collar worker.

blue-collar

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating manual industrial workers Compare white-collar pink-collar

   a blue-collar union

blue-collar

1. A descriptive term widely used for manual laborers, as opposed to white-collar for office workers.

Notes

The term is often associated with conservative values.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blue-collar¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

GOP leaders refused; they saw that Duke was pulling blue-collar Democrats to the party.

From The Daily Beast

My adopted home region of Southern California has seen an almost 14% drop in high-wage blue-collar jobs since 2007.

From The Daily Beast

And right now, working-class and blue-collar whites think the Democratic Party is just implacably against them.

From The Daily Beast

“The post-90s generation wants office jobs, not blue collar work,” Sun explains.

From The Daily Beast

These employ many in highly paid blue-collar fields, with average salaries of close to $100,000.

From The Daily Beast

He must have been six, in a black velveteen suit with a light-blue collar-he remembered that suit well!

From Project Gutenberg

Then you've got your new Tussore with the blue collar and waistband.

From Project Gutenberg

He says he feels sorry for any one who has to wear a pink shirt with a blue collar.

From Project Gutenberg

Sailors' costume consists of a white shirt, with blue collar and cuffs, black handkerchief about the neck, and black tarpaulin.

From Project Gutenberg

In industry, the proportion of women in blue-collar and white-collar jobs was about equal.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• proletarian