living wage

noun

1

: a subsistence wage

2

: a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living

Examples of living wage in a Sentence

He was barely earning a living wage.

Recent Examples on the Web

The plan also addresses other community needs including providing living wage jobs with benefits, affordable housing to retain talent such as teachers, and community gathering and business spaces. —Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 21 Mar. 2025

Click on the name of your county or metro area to see living wage statistics specific to your area. —Kendrick Marshall, Sacramento Bee, 4 Feb. 2025

This may mean that services shift to prioritize work participation and skill-building in jobs that pay a living wage, ultimately growing economic resiliency so people no longer need public benefits in the future. —Caroline Whistler, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

So far, no brand has guaranteed its factory workers a living wage, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign, a Dutch advocacy group. —Rob Davis, ProPublica, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for living wage

• disengage
• interstage
• macrophage
• multistage
• age
• gauge
• phage
• plage
• rage
• stage
• alienage
• assuage