Meanings
winter of discontent1
proper noun
- Alternative letter-case form of Winter of Discontent.
Winter of Discontent2
proper noun
alternative winter of discontent
- UKhistoricalgovernmentA period during 1978–79 in the United Kingdom, when the Labour Party's efforts to control inflation led to widespread strikes by public-sector trade unions demanding larger pay rises.
Nor is the government facing a strike by tanker drivers, as was the case in early 1979 during the winter of discontent.
2021 September 23, Larry Elliott, “Petrol disruption will fuel fears of new winter of discontent”, in The Guardian
Origin
An allusion to the opening line of William Shakespeare's play Richard III ("Now is the winter of our discontent").
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
winter of discontent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winter%20of%20discontent
MLA
“winter of discontent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winter%20of%20discontent. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “winter of discontent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/winter%20of%20discontent.
Source: winter of discontent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.