Luddite

[ luhd-ahyt ]
/ ˈlʌd aɪt /

noun

a member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment.
someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change.

Origin of Luddite

1805–15; after Ned Ludd, 18th-century Leicestershire worker who originated the idea; see -ite1

OTHER WORDS FROM Luddite

Lud·dism, Lud·dit·ism, noun

Example sentences from the Web for luddites

British Dictionary definitions for luddites

Luddite
/ (ˈlʌdaɪt) /

noun English history

any of the textile workers opposed to mechanization who rioted and organized machine-breaking between 1811 and 1816
any opponent of industrial change or innovation

adjective

of or relating to the Luddites

Derived forms of Luddite

Luddism, noun

Word Origin for Luddite

C19: alleged to be named after Ned Ludd, an 18th-century Leicestershire workman, who destroyed industrial machinery

Cultural definitions for luddites

Luddites
[ (lud-eyets) ]

Opponents of the introduction of labor-saving machinery. The original Luddites, followers of a legendary Ned Ludd, were British laborers of the early nineteenth century who smashed textile-making machines that threatened their jobs.

notes for Luddites

Contemporary opponents of technological change are sometimes called “Luddites.”