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
1
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."
2
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
1
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 notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who doesn't like or won't use new technology.
When to use it
Neutral to mildly derogatory; often used self-deprecatingly.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a bit of a Luddite
Luddite tendencies
neo-Luddite
dismissed as a Luddite
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like Luddite.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
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.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
early adopter
technophile
Related words
Rhymes for Luddite
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.
What is the meaning of Luddite?
"Luddite" (noun) means a person who is opposed to new technology, or who is unwilling or unable to use it.
