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labor-intensive

[ ley-ber-in-ten-siv ]
/ ˈleɪ bər ɪnˈtɛn sɪv /
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adjective
requiring or using a large supply of labor, relative to capital.
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Origin of labor-intensive

First recorded in 1950–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use labor-intensive in a sentence

Cultural definitions for labor-intensive

labor-intensive

A term describing industries that require a great deal of labor relative to capital (compare capital-intensive). Examples of labor-intensive industries are forms of agriculture that cannot make use of machinery and service industries, such as restaurants.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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