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

White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the administration is working on policies to support blue-collar workers like coal miners. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025

After leading a blue-collar training camp and issuing regular reminders to play hard, Sturm’s message has rapidly gone viral within the room. —Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

Among Gen Z, some are foregoing college, and its skyrocketing costs, in favor of blue-collar jobs. —Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025

The implications of the technology AI is slowly reshaping the economics of blue-collar America. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blue-collar

• footballer
• installer
• caller
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective

ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər

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