blue-collar

adjective

blue-col·​lar ˈblü-ˈkä-lər How to pronounce blue-collar (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or constituting the class of wage earners whose duties call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing compare white-collar
2
: having characteristics associated with blue-collar workers: such as
a
: having, showing, or appealing to unpretentious or unsophisticated tastes
… a new blue-collar serial … woven around a minor-league baseball team …Steven Flax
b
: dependable and hard-working rather than showy or spectacular
a blue-collar athlete

Examples of blue-collar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Courtside seats have climbed into six figures, transforming a blue-collar pastime into one of the hottest tickets in sports. Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 13 June 2026 Wage growth for blue-collar workers in China has outpaced that of their white-collar peers for six consecutive years, in a sign of the country’s booming gig economy. J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 June 2026 Sylvester Stallone rose to stardom playing blue-collar boxer Rocky Balboa. Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026 With his gruff voice, beard and sweatshirts-instead-of-suits, Platner cuts the figure of a blue-collar Mainer. Caroline McCaughey, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for blue-collar

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blue-collar was in 1929

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blue-collar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue-collar. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective
ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər
: of or relating to the class of workers whose duties require work clothes
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