living wage

noun

Definition of living wagenext
as in minimum wage

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of living wage California is tops in the nation for average teacher salary at $103,552; EPI sets a living wage in the state at $73,311. — Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Another goal of Grove, which Stidham owns with three minority partners, is to pay employees a living wage. — Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026 Living in sunny paradise, teaching less than 20 hours a week, being paid what might be considered a living wage, but only if your standards are low enough. — Aimie K. Runyan, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026 The County Council does not provide a living wage on its own, and this rule further restricts who can effectively serve on the council to candidates. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for living wage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for living wage
  1. minimum wage
  2. pay envelope
Noun
  • The city’s most recent referendum effort came last year, when business groups sought to repeal the $30 minimum wage for tourism workers.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … PRICE OF PROGRESS — Liberal stronghold set to adopt eye-popping minimum wage amid business exodus.
    — , FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of minimum wage
Noun
  • Immigrant workmen gave up a pay envelope, schoolchildren put in pennies — upward of 150,000 people in all, each name and each donation noted by Pulitzer’s New York World, and almost each one under a dollar.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2021
  • Frustrated by the limits of collective bargaining, Reuther came to complain that bargaining, once so promising, had come to focus on just another nickel in the pay envelope.
    — John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press, 19 Oct. 2019
Definition of pay envelope

Browse Nearby Words

living up to
living wage
living wages
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Living wage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/living%20wage. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of perseverate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All