blue-collar

American  

[bloo-kol-er] / ˈbluˈkɒl ər /

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.

---

noun

1. a blue-collar worker.

blue-collar British  

adjective

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

   a blue-collar union

---

blue-collar Cultural  

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

---

Discover More

The term is often associated with conservative values.

Etymology

Origin of blue-collar

First recorded in 1945–50

Compare meaning

How does blue-collar compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• blue-collar vs. white-collar

Example Sentences

That division was clear when AFP visited Levittown, a blue-collar area on the outskirts of Philadelphia lined with car dealerships and auto repair shops.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

The shift also extends to an emphasis on shop classes, as blue-collar jobs become more popular and white-collar hiring slows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

In line with that, experts project that a future where autonomous robots take over blue-collar tasks is still years away, given testing for humanoid robots is in its early stages.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

Plus, the potential benefits of a blue-collar career change and why MBAs from top schools are struggling to get hired.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

He had come to Odessa from Dallas twenty-seven years before, so he had been in the town long enough to know exactly what it was like, tight-clenched, blue-collar, conservative.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• apprentice
• blue-collar worker