blue-collar

adjective

blue-col·​lar ˈblü-ˈkä-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or constituting the class of wage earners whose duties call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing compare white-collar

2

: having characteristics associated with blue-collar workers: such as

a

: having, showing, or appealing to unpretentious or unsophisticated tastes

a new blue-collar serial … woven around a minor-league baseball team

—Steven Flax

b

: dependable and hard-working rather than showy or spectacular

a blue-collar athlete

Examples of blue-collar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This data focuses on a more blue-collar segment of the workforce. —Louis Jacbson, Austin American-Statesman, 13 Nov. 2024

Jonathan Hanson, a lecturer in statistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Policy, said Harris was unable to overcome Trump’s messaging on those key topics, especially economy and immigration, and pointed to Macomb County as an example of Trump appealing to blue-collar workers. —Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024

Trump won blue-collar voters who lack college degrees 55%-42%, while Harris won more affluent voters with college degrees 57%-40%. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024

As Ohio pivoted hard to the GOP in the Trump era, the champion of blue-collar workers saw his fortunes dim. —Steven T. Dennis, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

blue-collar

adjective

ˈblü-ˈkäl-ər

: of or relating to the class of workers whose duties require work clothes