blue-collar

[ bloo-kol-er ]
/ ˈbluˈkɒl ər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR blue-collar ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

a blue-collar worker.

Origin of blue-collar

First recorded in 1945–50

Words nearby blue-collar

blue wood aster, blue-arsed fly, blue-black, blue-breasted quail, blue-chip, blue-collar, blue-curls, blue-eyed, blue-eyed boy, blue-eyed grass, blue-eyed mary

Words related to blue collar

proletarian, worker, laborer, employee, trader, peasant, member, clerk, agent, representative, operator, attendant, help, helper, toiler, breadwinner, hireling, learner, hand, instrument

British Dictionary definitions for blue collar

blue-collar

adjective

of, relating to, or designating manual industrial workers a blue-collar union Compare white-collar, pink-collar

Cultural definitions for blue collar

blue-collar

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

notes for blue-collar

The term is often associated with conservative values.