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
Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
But upside, promise and potential eventually needs to turn into production, and considering how this roster filled with minimum-salary players, NFL journeymen and rookies has been put together, the newcomers will have plenty of opportunity to showcase themselves this season.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 7 May 2026
Ligertwood spent the Seventies as something of a rock & roll journeyman.
—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
See All Example Sentences for journeyman
Cite this Entry
“Journeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journeyman. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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journeyman
noun
