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

Earlier this week, Ed Brady, president and CEO of the Home Builders Institute (HBI), said younger people need to be more aware of the opportunities in the sector, saying skilled blue-collar roles with six-figure salaries attached were sitting empty. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

While many traditional blue-collar workers are seeing a boost, including truckers, the biggest blue collar beneficiaries, according to Bachaud’s data, are welders and pipefitters. — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026

Understanding the plight of blue-collar America wasn’t particularly difficult for Parton. — Tom Roland, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026

In 1920, Decatur was a fast-growing central Illinois city with an emerging industrial base and a strong blue-collar core. — Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blue-collar

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

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective

ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər

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