blue-collar

adjective

blue-col·​lar ˈblü-ˈkä-lər 

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

Though Schrader is correct that the film is visually flat, Light of Day is still a lovely blue-collar portrait of people whose creative ambitions far outstrip their abilities and circumstance. —Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025

Many people who long chose to live here—Jet Propulsion Lab engineers, teachers, blue-collar workers, small-business owners—have been joined by celebrities (such as Mandy Moore and John C. Reilly) and members of the creative class priced out of other Los Angeles-area neighborhoods. —Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025

His multiethnic, working-class base takes particular interest in the prospects for a resurgence in manufacturing to create good blue-collar jobs, revitalize communities, and eliminate reliance on foreign producers. —Oren Cass, Foreign Affairs, 16 Jan. 2025

Smith noted that white-collar employees were more frequently categorized into the good sleeper or insomnia sleeper groups, whereas blue-collar workers were more likely to be catch-up sleepers because of their demanding shift schedules. —Julianna Bragg, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective

ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər

: of or relating to the class of workers whose duties require work clothes