journeyman
noun
New Yorker
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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
Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025
Perhaps the real disappointment is that this is more of a journeyman effort from Wright than usual, without the ricocheting momentum and clockwork precision of Baby Driver or the dazzling style and enveloping mood of Last Night in Soho.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The indictment, which was filed on Wednesday and unsealed Sunday, comes on the heels of a series of similar indictments involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman Damon Jones.
—David Close, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
The definition of a journeyman, Jones played for 10 teams and made more than $20 million in his career.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Journeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journeyman. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.
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journeyman
noun
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