Meanings
plural social workers
- A person, usually employed by the state, that supports the welfare of individuals or groups, especially those that are socially disadvantaged.
I had a visit from my social worker last week.
4 more examples
These are but a few instances of the benefits conferred by him as a social worker; but until these can be fully recorded, let us bear in mind as no small part of the debt we owe to the truly noble man[…]
1887 January 14, “To the Editor of 'The Times'”, in The Times (Letters section), number 31969, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6Mr. J. W. Martin of London, England, will deliver a series of lectures in St. Louls this week. Mr. Martin is a member of the famous Fabian Society of London, and an educator and social worker of note in his own country.
1899 March 5, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, volume 50, number 202, St. Louis, Missouri, →OCLC, Mr. Martin of London Here: He Will Deliver a Series of Lectures on Social Subjects, page 24Professor Virchow, as chairman of the commemoration committee, opened the proceedings in a speech in which he recalled the services which Herr Schulze had rendered Germany as a social worker and as a politician.
1899 August 5, “Germany”, in The Times (Latest Intelligence section), number 35900, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5There canʼt have been many social workers at that troubled time who heard an expression of gratitude.
2005, Jennifer Worth, Shadows of the Workhouse, Weidenfeld & Nicholson (2009), page 274
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone employed to provide social services (especially to the disadvantaged)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic أَخِصَّائِيّ اِجْتِمَاعِيّ
- أَخِصَّائِيّ اِجْتِمَاعِيّ (ʔaḵiṣṣāʔiyy ijtimāʕiyy)person whose profession is social work
Catalan assistent social
- assistent socialperson whose profession is social work
Chinese Mandarin 社會福利工作者 /社会福利工作者, 社會工作者 /社会工作者
- 社會福利工作者 /社会福利工作者 (shèhuì fúlì gōngzuòzhě)person whose profession is social work
- 社會工作者 /社会工作者 (shèhuì gōngzuòzhě)person whose profession is social work
- 社工 (shègōng)person whose profession is social work
Finnish sosiaalityöntekijä
- sosiaalityöntekijäperson whose profession is social work
French travailleur social, travailleuse sociale
- travailleur socialperson whose profession is social work
- travailleuse socialeperson whose profession is social work
German Sozialarbeiter, Sozialarbeiterin
- Sozialarbeiterperson whose profession is social work
- Sozialarbeiterinperson whose profession is social work
Italian assistente sociale, operatore social
- assistente socialeperson whose profession is social work
- operatore socialperson whose profession is social work
Japanese ソーシャルワーカー
- ソーシャルワーカー (sōsharuwākā)person whose profession is social work
Korean 사회복지사
- 사회복지사 (sahoebokjisa)person whose profession is social work
Persian مددکار
- مددکار (madadkâr)person whose profession is social work
Polish pracownik socjalny
- pracownik socjalnyperson whose profession is social work
Portuguese assistente social
- assistente socialperson whose profession is social work
Romanian asistent social
- asistent socialperson whose profession is social work
Russian социа́льный рабо́тник, социа́льная рабо́тница
- социа́льный рабо́тник (sociálʹnyj rabótnik)person whose profession is social work
- социа́льная рабо́тница (sociálʹnaja rabótnica)person whose profession is social work
Spanish asistente social
- asistente socialperson whose profession is social work
Swedish handläggare, socialarbetare
- handläggareperson whose profession is social work
- socialarbetareperson whose profession is social work
- socialassistentperson whose profession is social work
Turkish sosyal çalışmacı
- sosyal çalışmacıperson whose profession is social work
Cite this entry
social worker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20worker
“social worker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20worker. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “social worker,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20worker.
Source: social worker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.