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
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
As portrayed by Stephen Graham, Douglas was a World War II veteran and blue-collar worker who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia late in his adult life.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, other roles may be sheltered from the storm, particularly blue-collar jobs like dredge operators, bridge and lock tenders, water treatment plant operators, and rail-track layers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
Oklahoma’s thriving Red Dirt music scene took root following Guthrie’s death in 1967, when a handful of songwriters in the state decided to collaborate, in the process centering their music around Guthrie’s blue-collar values.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Born in Myrtle Creek and raised in blue-collar communities across Oregon, Merkley was the first in his family to graduate from college.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blue-collar
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Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, other roles may be sheltered from the storm, particularly blue-collar jobs like dredge operators, bridge and lock tenders, water treatment plant operators, and rail-track layers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
Oklahoma’s thriving Red Dirt music scene took root following Guthrie’s death in 1967, when a handful of songwriters in the state decided to collaborate, in the process centering their music around Guthrie’s blue-collar values.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Born in Myrtle Creek and raised in blue-collar communities across Oregon, Merkley was the first in his family to graduate from college.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blue-collar
Cite this Entry
“Blue-collar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue-collar. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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