noun

Luddite

LUD-ite

Luddite (noun) means a person who is opposed to new technology, or who is unwilling or unable to use it. Example: “I'm a bit of a Luddite when it comes to smart speakers.”

noun

A person who is opposed to new technology, or who is unwilling or unable to use it.

"I'm a bit of a Luddite when it comes to smart speakers."

"He was dismissed as a Luddite for questioning the rollout of the new system."

A member of the groups of English textile workers who destroyed factory machinery in the early nineteenth century in protest at mechanisation and the loss of their livelihoods.

"The Luddites smashed the frames at night and vanished before the militia arrived."

adjective

Hostile to, or characteristic of hostility to, new technology.

"The paper took a distinctly Luddite line on artificial intelligence."

How to Use Luddite

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomeone who doesn't like or won't use new technology.

When to use it

Neutral to mildly derogatory; often used self-deprecatingly.

Memory tip

The related noun for the attitude is "Luddism" or "Ludditism".

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

technophobe laggard conservative →

Common pairings

a bit of a Luddite Luddite tendencies neo-Luddite dismissed as a Luddite

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “Luddite” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

I'm a bit of a _____ when it comes to smart speakers.

Etymology

From the name Ned Ludd, a figure invoked (and probably legendary) as the leader of the English machine-breakers of the 1810s.

Origin: English

Synonyms

View more →

technophobe traditionalist reactionary

Antonyms

early adopter technophile

Related Words

conservative progressive Tory reactionary maverick reformer right wing

Rhymes for Luddite

rite bite lite kite cite mite site white write trite smite quite

See all rhymes for Luddite →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is calling someone a Luddite an insult?

It usually is, implying they are stubbornly behind the times. People do apply it to themselves light-heartedly, though, as a way of admitting they are not confident with technology.

What did the original Luddites actually want?

They were skilled textile workers protesting at machines being used to undercut their wages and produce cheaper, poorer goods. Their objection was to how the technology was being used against them, not to machinery in principle — which is why the modern sense of the word is often called a distortion.

Is Luddite capitalised?

The historical sense is always capitalised because it derives from a name. The general "technophobe" sense is written both with and without a capital, though the capital remains more common.

People Also Searched

conservative progressive Tory reactionary maverick reformer right wing