Phrase guide

wage slave

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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who works for wages and has little to no professional autonomy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone who does very unpleasant or drudging work for a wage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 社畜 (shèchù) — one who works for wages
  • Dutch: loonslaaf — one who works for wages
  • Esperanto: salajrosklavo — one who works for wages
  • Finnish: palkkaorja — one who works for wages
  • French: esclave salarié — one who works for wages
  • German: Lohnsklave — one who works for wages
  • German: Berufsmensch — one who works for wages
  • Greek: μισθωτός σκλάβος (misthotós sklávos) — one who works for wages
  • Hungarian: bérrabszolga — one who works for wages
  • Indonesian: budak korporat — one who works for wages
  • Japanese: 社畜 (shachiku) — one who works for wages
  • Polish: niewolnik płacy — one who works for wages
  • Portuguese: escravo do salário — one who works for wages
  • Portuguese: escravo assalariado — one who works for wages
  • Swedish: löneslav — one who works for wages