social worker

noun

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.”

Similar
caseworkerwelfare worker

Meanings

nounsocial worker (plural social workers)

plural social workers

  1. 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 6

    Mr. 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 24

    Professor 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 5

    There 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)

Similar
caseworkerwelfare worker
Also see

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
APA

social worker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20worker

MLA

“social worker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/social%20worker. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

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.