Meanings
nounwork ethic (plural work ethics)
plural work ethics
- The value that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties.
- The tendency to work hard at one's job or duties.
Badenoch, asked about Philp’s claim that Britons needed a better work ethic, told broadcasters: “I think everybody should be working hard, including myself.”
2025 January 31, Rowena Mason, quoting Kemi Badenoch, “Tory Chris Philp accused of ‘brass neck’ after saying UK needs better work ethic”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Afrikaans werksetiek
- werksetiektendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Bulgarian трудолюбие, прилежание
- трудолюбие (trudoljubie)tendency to work hard at one's job or duties
- прилежание (priležanie)tendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Chinese Mandarin 勤勉精神, 勤勉性
- 勤勉精神 (qínmiǎn jīngshén)value that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- 勤勉性tendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Danish arbejdsmoral
- arbejdsmoraltendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Dutch werkethos
- werkethosvalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
Finnish työmoraali, ahkeruus
- työmoraalivalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- ahkeruustendency to work hard at one's job or duties
German Arbeitsmoral, Arbeitsmentalität
- Arbeitsmoralvalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- Arbeitsmentalitätvalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- Arbeitsmoraltendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Indonesian etika kerja, etos kerja
- etika kerjavalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- etos kerjavalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
Irish eitic oibre, eitic oibre
- eitic oibrevalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- eitic oibretendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Japanese 労働観
- 労働観 (rōdōkan)value that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
Latin industria
- industriatendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Malay etika kerja
- etika kerjavalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
Māori waiaro mahi
- waiaro mahivalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
Russian трудолюбие, трудолюбие
- трудолюбие (trudoljubije)value that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- трудолюбие (trudoljubije)tendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Spanish ética laboral, ética laboral
- ética laboralvalue that one ought to work hard at one's job or duties
- ética laboraltendency to work hard at one's job or duties
Cite this entry
APA
work ethic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20ethic
MLA
“work ethic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20ethic. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “work ethic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/work%20ethic.
Source: work ethic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.