living wage

noun

1
: a subsistence wage
2
: a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living

Examples of living wage in a Sentence

He was barely earning a living wage.
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.
Jobs in these fields are likely to pay a living wage, according to 2023 pay data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024 And the lowest portion of workers living in poverty, demonstrating that workers in New Hampshire are paid a living wage. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024 All of the cities in the top five, including Toledo, Ohio, required a comfortable living wage between $36 and $38 per hour for one person. Isabela Ocampo Restrepo, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Aug. 2024 This year, however, the increase in Marin’s living wage won’t affect wages for IHSS workers because their union negotiated a new contract in June that increased the pay to $19 per hour. Richard Halstead, The Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for living wage 

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of living wage was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near living wage

Cite this Entry

“Living wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/living%20wage. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on living wage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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