Standard Lemma guide

coworker

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkəʊˈwɜː.kər/
  • General-American: /ˌkoʊˈwɝː.kɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K OW1 W ER1 K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Somebody with whom one works.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He heard from a coworker that the company planned to merge those departments.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: colleague, workmate, adjunct, associate, business partner, cohort, colaborer /colabourer, collaborator, compeer, confrere, consociate, coworker /co-worker, fellow, jobmate, workfellow

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person in the lowest common denominator, especially regarding popular culture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, attributive, derogatory

Examples

  • This is the most coworker movie I've ever seen.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: normie

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin co-der. English co- Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom Proto-Germanic *werką Proto-West Germanic *werk Old English weorc Middle English werk Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere Middle English werkere, worcher, wercher English worker English coworker From co- + worker.

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Amharic: የሥራ ጓደኛ (yäśra gwadäña) — somebody with whom one works
  • Arabic: زَمِيل (zamīl) — somebody with whom one works
  • Arabic: زَمِيلَة (zamīla) — somebody with whom one works
  • Armenian: գործընկեր (gorcənker) — somebody with whom one works
  • Armenian: պաշտոնակից (paštonakicʻ) — somebody with whom one works
  • Bengali: সহকর্মী (śohokormi) — somebody with whom one works
  • Bulgarian: коле́га (koléga) — somebody with whom one works
  • Chinese Mandarin: 同事 (tóngshì) — somebody with whom one works
  • Chinese Mandarin: 同僚 (tóngliáo) — somebody with whom one works
  • Danish: kollega — somebody with whom one works
  • Danish: arbejdskollega — somebody with whom one works
  • Danish: arbejdskammerat — somebody with whom one works
  • Dutch: collega — somebody with whom one works
  • Dutch: medewerker — somebody with whom one works
  • Dutch: medewerkster — somebody with whom one works
  • Esperanto: kunlaboranto — somebody with whom one works
  • Esperanto: kolego — somebody with whom one works
  • Finnish: työtoveri — somebody with whom one works
  • Finnish: työkaveri — somebody with whom one works
  • French: collègue — somebody with whom one works
  • French: confrère — somebody with whom one works
  • Georgian: კოლეგა (ḳolega) — somebody with whom one works
  • Georgian: თანამშრომელი (tanamšromeli) — somebody with whom one works
  • German: Kollege — somebody with whom one works
  • German: Kollegin — somebody with whom one works
  • Greek: συνεργάτης (synergátis) — somebody with whom one works
  • Ancient Greek: συνεργός (sunergós) — somebody with whom one works
  • Hebrew: עמית ('amyt) — somebody with whom one works
  • Hebrew: עמיתה ('amita) — somebody with whom one works
  • Hindi: सहकर्मी (sahkarmī) — somebody with whom one works
  • Hungarian: munkatárs — somebody with whom one works
  • Hungarian: kolléga — somebody with whom one works
  • Icelandic: vinnufélagi — somebody with whom one works
  • Italian: collega — somebody with whom one works
  • Japanese: 同僚 (dōryō) — somebody with whom one works
  • Kazakh: еңбектес (eñbektes) — somebody with whom one works
  • Kazakh: жұмыстас (jūmystas) — somebody with whom one works
  • Korean: 동료 (dongnyo) — somebody with whom one works
  • Korean: 동업자 (dong'eopja) — somebody with whom one works
  • Northern Kurdish: hevpîşe — somebody with whom one works
  • Northern Kurdish: hevkar — somebody with whom one works
  • Lithuanian: bendradarbis — somebody with whom one works
  • Macedonian: коле́га (koléga) — somebody with whom one works
  • Macedonian: коле́шка (koléška) — somebody with whom one works
  • Manx: co-labree — somebody with whom one works
  • Māori: hoa mahi — somebody with whom one works
  • Nepali: सहकर्मी (sahakarmī) — somebody with whom one works
  • Old English: efnwyrhta — somebody with whom one works
  • Persian: همکار (hamkâr) — somebody with whom one works
  • Polish: współpracownik — somebody with whom one works
  • Polish: kolega z pracy — somebody with whom one works
  • Polish: koleżanka z pracy — somebody with whom one works
  • Portuguese: colega — somebody with whom one works
  • Portuguese: colega de trabalho — somebody with whom one works
  • Portuguese: colega de serviço — somebody with whom one works
  • Romanian: coleg — somebody with whom one works
  • Romanian: colegă — somebody with whom one works
  • Russian: колле́га (kolléga) — somebody with whom one works
  • Russian: сослужи́вец (soslužívec) — somebody with whom one works
  • Russian: сотру́дник (sotrúdnik) — somebody with whom one works
  • Russian: сотру́дница (sotrúdnica) — somebody with whom one works
  • Serbo-Croatian: suradnik — somebody with whom one works
  • Serbo-Croatian: suradnica — somebody with whom one works
  • Spanish: colega — somebody with whom one works
  • Spanish: compañero (de trabajo) — somebody with whom one works
  • Spanish: compañera (de trabajo) — somebody with whom one works
  • Swedish: medarbetare — somebody with whom one works
  • Swedish: arbetskamrat — somebody with whom one works
  • Swedish: kollega — somebody with whom one works
  • Tagalog: kamanggagawa — somebody with whom one works
  • Thai: เพื่อนร่วมงาน (pêuan rûam ngaan) — somebody with whom one works
  • Turkish: iş arkadaşı — somebody with whom one works
  • Turkish: koldaş — somebody with whom one works
  • Ottoman Turkish: حریف (herif) — somebody with whom one works
  • Ukrainian: співробі́тник (spivrobítnyk) — somebody with whom one works
  • Ukrainian: співробі́тниця (spivrobítnycja) — somebody with whom one works
  • Vietnamese: đồng nghiệp — somebody with whom one works