Meaning & use
wage earner
Last updated
UK/ˈweɪdʒ ˌɜːnə/
US/ˈweɪdʒ ˌɝːnər/
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who gets paid for work, especially one whose income supports a household.
Grammar: Plural wage earners: both parents are wage earners.
Patterns
- the main wage earner
- a wage earner in the family
After her father fell ill, Mia became the family's only wage earner.
Tax cuts were aimed at low-income wage earners.
Two wage earners in a household can usually afford a mortgage.
Word forms
| plural | wage earners |
|---|
Common combinations
- the primary wage earner
- He was the primary wage earner while she studied.
- a sole wage earner
- As a sole wage earner, she budgeted carefully.
- average wage earner
- The average wage earner cannot afford that apartment.
- a second wage earner
- A second wage earner eased the family's money worries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- breadwinner
- Breadwinner stresses supporting a family and is slightly old-fashioned, whereas wage earner is neutral.
- salaried worker
- A salaried worker gets a fixed yearly pay, unlike a wage earner paid by the hour.
- employee
- Employee is about the job relationship, not about income for a household.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wage earner or salary earner?
wage earner vs salary earner
A salary earner is paid a fixed yearly amount, while a wage earner is traditionally paid by the hour or day.
Practice
When Tom lost his job, Elena became the household's only ______.
Choose one answer.
The wage earner is the person bringing in income; the other options are not standard terms.
Make it your own
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