subminimum

adjective

sub·​min·​i·​mum ˌsəb-ˈmi-nə-məm How to pronounce subminimum (audio)
variants or sub-minimum
: having or providing less than a specified minimum
The ore shipment was rejected for subminimum uranium content …The New York Times
… like most of the other early minimum wage laws, the Massachusetts law allowed for subminimum wages [=wages below a legally fixed minimum wage] for learners and children …Clifford F. Thies

Examples of subminimum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In addition to New York and Connecticut, Jayaraman said One Fair Wage is campaigning behind legislation to end subminimum pay in Illinois, Maryland, Hawaii and Rhode Island in 2024. J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2024 Instead, they’re only required to pay subminimum wage, which varies from state to state. Emma Janssen, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024 The solution is not to continue allowing a subminimum wage but to build a business model that does not make the exploitation of employees central to its success. Elena Soderblom, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023 But, in their determination to prepare students for employment, many schools, like other institutions at the time, came to resemble sweatshops, making blind children spin wool and grind tobacco for subminimum wages. Andrew Leland, The New Yorker, 8 July 2023 Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, which advocates to end subminimum wage policies, encourages customers to tip. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 17 Dec. 2022 Missouri, however, does little to help sheltered workshop employees make that move — even though getting disabled workers ready for the regular workforce is the goal behind the federal law authorizing subminimum wages. Madison Hopkins, ProPublica, 19 Nov. 2022 The plan also would eliminate a youth subminimum wage that allows businesses to pay teens less during the first 90 days of work. Allison Prang, WSJ, 27 Mar. 2021 That can be difficult to find, as the U.S. Department of Labor allows businesses to pay subminimum wage to employees with disabilities. Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subminimum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subminimum was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near subminimum

Cite this Entry

“Subminimum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subminimum. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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