journeyman
noun
New Yorker
Did you know?
The journey in journeyman refers to a sense of the familiar word not often used anymore: "a day's labor." This sense of journey was first used in the 14th century. When journeyman appeared the following century, it originally referred to a person who, having learned a handicraft or trade through an apprenticeship, worked for daily wages. In the 16th century, journeyman picked up a figurative (and mainly deprecatory) sense; namely, "one who drudges for another." These days, however, journeyman has little to do with drudgery, and lots to do with knowing a trade inside out.
Examples of journeyman in a Sentence
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2026
That’s how perennial All-Star José Ramírez assesses his 1-for-17 showing against journeyman reliever Taylor Rogers.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Facing left-hander Reid Detmers, the Mets stacked the lineup with right-handed hitters, including Andy Ibañez and Austin Slater, two veteran journeymen who were recently acquired.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Vladar, a journeyman turned Olympian voted the team's MVP this season, turned away everything the Penguins threw at him in much of the series.
—CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for journeyman
Cite this Entry
“Journeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journeyman. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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journeyman
noun
