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

Though the inside is upscale, eclectic, cozy and polished, anyone is welcome in the space, from blue-collar laborers to lawyers, Blum said. — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026

Lacking the billions, this Bruce Wayne comes from a blue-collar background, raised by a teacher and social worker, before his dad’s untimely death in a mass shooting. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026

Though Stewart denied then and denies now that the act ever took place, the idea that the Steel City’s star quarterback was gay lingered in the mid-90s blue-collar town. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026

But this one was different from the others awarded to this blue-collar taco stand in Mexico City’s Colonia San Rafael. — Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 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