journeyman
noun
New Yorker
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The journey in journeyman refers to a sense of the familiar word not often used anymore: "a day's labor." This sense of journey was first used in the 14th century. When journeyman appeared the following century, it originally referred to a person who, having learned a handicraft or trade through an apprenticeship, worked for daily wages. In the 16th century, journeyman picked up a figurative (and mainly deprecatory) sense; namely, "one who drudges for another." These days, however, journeyman has little to do with drudgery, and lots to do with knowing a trade inside out.
Examples of journeyman in a Sentence
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The reason Notre Dame can’t get any kind of pass rush might be because the staff tried to duct tape the defensive tackle position together with transfers and journeymen.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Reiner could be called a journeyman director, except what kind of journeyman director could make a movie as confident as When Harry Met Sally, or as anarchic as This Is Spinal Tap, or one that juggles as many tones as The Princess Bride?
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2025
The Panthers elected to let Piñeiro test free agency this offseason and brought in journeyman kicker Matthew Wright and undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald to compete for the job.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for journeyman
Cite this Entry
“Journeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journeyman. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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journeyman
noun
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