starvation wages

plural noun

: wages insufficient to provide the ordinary necessities of life

Examples of starvation wages in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those aren’t starvation wages. Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2021 The American people understand that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is a starvation wage. New York Times, 11 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'starvation wages.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of starvation wages was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near starvation wages

Cite this Entry

“Starvation wages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starvation%20wages. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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