Dictionary

ironworker en · NOUN

Etymology

From iron + worker.

Meanings

1. A skilled construction worker who assembles the metal frame of buildings, especially large commercial ones such as warehouses and skyscrapers.
   • Many people believe that growth will only continue. “We’re gonna need stadiums full of electricians, heavy equipment operators, ironworkers, HVAC technicians,” Dwarkesh Patel and Romeo Dean, AI-industry analysts, wrote recently. 2025 October 30, Matteo Wong, Charlie Warzel, “Here’s How the AI Crash Happens”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 30 Oct 2025:
   • Near-synonym: erector
2. (archaic) A person employed to manufacture and shape iron or to do other (related) labor within an ironworks.
   • Near-synonym: roughneck

Forms

Coordinates

smith · blacksmith · steelworker

Relateds

ironware · wrought iron · ironmonger · ironfounder

Synonyms

roughneck · erector

Translations (4)

bg железа́р (person who works with iron) · mk железар (person who works with iron) · pl hutnik (person who works with iron) · sv järnarbetare (person who works with iron)