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

In the book, the Ohio senator writes about growing up in a blue-collar family in Middletown with a long history of poverty. —Kimberly Aguirre, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2024

Vance, who is 39, is widely viewed as the vanguard of a Millennial far right that ostensibly champions blue-collar workers and chastises greedy executives (a view that Democrats and labor advocates dispute, but more on that in a moment). —Allison Morrow, CNN, 17 July 2024

His ability to speak to the issues facing blue-collar voters in swing states dealing with post-industrial changes, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is likely to be an asset for the Trump campaign. —Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 15 July 2024

House conservatives see former President Trump's pick of J.D. Vance as his running mate as a chance to solidify support among blue-collar voters. —Juliegrace Brufke, Axios, 15 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective

ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər

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