wage slave

noun

1. a person who works for a wage, especially with total and immediate dependency on the income derived from such labor.

wage slave

noun

1. ironic.
   a person dependent on a wage or salary

Other Words From

• wage slavery noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wage slave¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

I will imagine while writing that I am that rake who dabs cologne on his handkerchief before making sorties into the belle epoque salons of Paris, and not a wage slave who has to remind himself to wear pants for Zoom.

From New York Times

“If you want to be an artist and you graduate with a ton of student loan debt, you can’t afford to be an artist, anymore,” I told her, explaining that you become a creatively stymied wage slave instead.

From Slate

One Georgia resident who has made 18 small donations to Sanders listed his occupation as a “wage slave”; another listed himself as a “slave”.

From The Guardian

When the protestor throws the bottle, she’s targeting a fellow wage slave who should be her ally, and he would if circumstances allowed him to simultaneously have principles and make enough money to support himself.

From The Verge

“This man said he understood my singing, for while my father was working as a slave, his own father was working as a wage slave in the mills of Manchester.”

From The Guardian

Related Words

• blue collar
• blue-collar worker
• breadwinner