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
For decades, blue-collar jobs had outnumbered white-collar ones, and public services were plentiful and well-functioning—hospitals, day cares, parks, free education.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Even the plumber or electrician, those blue-collar careers recently advertised as AI-proof, aren’t found to be so in Cognizant’s analysis.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 1 June 2026
McDermott called him a blue-collar, gritty player who can go deep into games and doesn’t get rattled often.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Charles Cioffi, a prolific character actor in TV, film and the Broadway stage perhaps best known for memorable turns as Tom Cruise’s blue-collar dad in All the Right Moves and a sadistic killer stalking Jane Fonda in Klute, died May 22 of natural causes at his home in Marina del Rey, California.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 May 2026
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Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Even the plumber or electrician, those blue-collar careers recently advertised as AI-proof, aren’t found to be so in Cognizant’s analysis.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 1 June 2026
McDermott called him a blue-collar, gritty player who can go deep into games and doesn’t get rattled often.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Charles Cioffi, a prolific character actor in TV, film and the Broadway stage perhaps best known for memorable turns as Tom Cruise’s blue-collar dad in All the Right Moves and a sadistic killer stalking Jane Fonda in Klute, died May 22 of natural causes at his home in Marina del Rey, California.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 May 2026
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 4 Jun. 2026.
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