working

working — adjective

1. describing things that are connected to your job or to the hours you spend at yo

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing things that are connected to your job or to the hours you spend at your workplace

Example

Talia's working conditions improved after the office installed new desks.

attributive: working + conditions

Noor spends most of his working hours in front of a computer screen.

Common collocations
  • working conditions
  • working hours
  • working relationship
  • working environment
  • working week
  • working life
Synonyms
  • professional

    focuses on the skill or career aspect rather than the time spent

  • occupational

    more formal, often used in legal or medical contexts

Antonyms
  • leisure

    refers to free time rather than work time

  • personal

    relating to private life, not your job

Grammar Patterns

working + noun (conditions, hours, relationship, etc.)

Usage Note

Always placed before a noun (attributive). Common in fixed phrases such as working conditions, working hours, and working relationship.

Common Mistakes

I like my work conditions.
I like my working conditions.
'working' is the standard adjective form before these nouns.

2. having a paid job; earning money through regular employment

2.adjectiveA2
Definition

having a paid job; earning money through regular employment

Example

Hugo's mother has been a working parent since he was a toddler.

collocation: working parent / working mother

Amira joined the working population right after finishing university.

Common collocations
  • working mother
  • working parent
  • working population
  • working people
  • working students
  • working class
Synonyms
  • employed

    more formal, focuses on the contractual state of having a job

  • salaried

    specifically refers to workers who receive a fixed regular payment

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

working + noun (mother, parent, population, etc.)

Usage Note

Always attributive. Often used in social or economic contexts to describe demographic groups.

Common Mistakes

She is a work mother.
She is a working mother.
'working' is the adjective form; 'work' as a noun cannot modify 'mother' directly.

3. currently running or being used in a normal way; not broken or switched off

3.adjectiveA2
Definition

currently running or being used in a normal way; not broken or switched off

Example

Liang checked whether the office printer was still working before the meeting.

predicate: be + working

Théo shook the flashlight gently until the bulb started working again.

Common collocations
  • still working
  • working properly
  • working again
  • not working
  • working fine
Synonyms
  • running

    more informal, often used for engines or motors

  • operational

    more formal, used for systems or equipment

Antonyms
  • broken

    no longer working; damaged

  • off

    switched off or not in use

Grammar Patterns

subject + be + working

working + adverb (properly, correctly, etc.)

Usage Note

This sense is most commonly used in the predicate position (after be, seem, or start). When used attributively, it overlaps with sense 6 (EFFECTIVE).

Common Mistakes

The machine is work.
The machine is working.' or 'The machine works.
'working' as an adjective replaces the progressive or simple present.

4. describing the parts of a device that move around to make the whole machine run

4.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing the parts of a device that move around to make the whole machine run

Example

The watchmaker carefully cleaned every working part of the antique clock.

collocation: working part(s)

The engineer oiled the working components of the factory conveyor belt.

Common collocations
  • working parts
  • working components
  • working mechanism
Synonyms
  • moving

    simpler and more general; not restricted to mechanical contexts

  • mechanical

    refers to the whole system rather than just the parts that move

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

working + part(s) / component(s) / mechanism

Usage Note

Almost always used attributively before part or a synonym such as component or mechanism. Distinct from sense 3 because it specifically refers to physical moving parts, not the overall functioning of the device.

5. good enough to start using, even though you may update or refine it later

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

good enough to start using, even though you may update or refine it later

Example

The film director kept the original working title until the final week of editing.

collocation: working title

The research team agreed on a working definition of the term before starting the study.

collocation: working definition

Common collocations
  • working title
  • working definition
  • working knowledge
  • working plan
  • working hypothesis
  • working document
  • working budget
Synonyms
  • provisional

    more formal, emphasises the temporary nature

  • preliminary

    suggests something that comes before the main version

Antonyms
  • final

    complete and not subject to change

  • perfect

    fully developed with no flaws

Grammar Patterns

working + noun (definition, title, knowledge, plan, budget)

Usage Note

Only sense that pairs with nouns such as title, definition, knowledge, hypothesis, or document. The implication is always provisional and subject to revision.

Common Mistakes

I have work knowledge of Spanish.
I have a working knowledge of Spanish.
'working' is the required adjective form in this fixed expression.

6. describing a relationship, arrangement, or system that produces good results in

6.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a relationship, arrangement, or system that produces good results in practice

Example

Tomás and his neighbour have developed a very working relationship over the years.

collocation: working relationship

Niran's team found a working arrangement that allowed everyone to work from home.

Common collocations
  • working relationship
  • working arrangement
  • working solution
  • working partnership
  • working model
Synonyms
  • successful

    emphasises the positive outcome more than the process

  • effective

    more general; not limited to collaborative or social contexts

Antonyms
  • dysfunctional

    failing to work as intended; often used for relationships or systems

  • broken

    no longer functioning at all

Grammar Patterns

working + noun (relationship, arrangement, solution, partnership)

Usage Note

Overlaps partially with sense 3 (FUNCTIONING) when used predicatively. What distinguishes this sense is the emphasis on quality of operation rather than the binary on/off state. Most common in collocations describing human or social systems.

Common Mistakes

They have a work partnership.
They have a working partnership.
'working' is the standard adjective in these collaborative expressions.
Idioms

in running/working order

idiom

A machine or system that is functioning correctly and without problems.

After the repair, my car is now in perfect working order.

Is the old printer still in running order for the office?

working — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Working, employed, and occupational all relate to having or involving a job, but they differ in scope and usage. Working is the broadest and most flexible of the three: it can describe people (a working mother), demographic groups (the working population), or attributes (working hours). Employed is more formal and focuses strictly on the contractual state of having paid work — one says 'she is employed by the hospital' rather than 'she is working by the hospital.' Occupational is narrower still, used almost exclusively before nouns to describe things that are connected with a person's job, such as occupational health, occupational hazard, or occupational therapy. A practical distinction: you can have a working lunch (a meal where business is discussed), but an 'employed lunch' or 'occupational lunch' would be meaningless. Similarly, a working parent is a parent who has a job, whereas 'employed parent' sounds legalistic and 'occupational parent' does not exist.

employedworking ↗occupational ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in working order
  • working together
  • hard-working
  • working against the clock

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Working developed from the Old English noun worcung ('the act of doing something'), which itself came from the Proto-Germanic root *werkan ('to do, to make'). By the late Middle Ages, worcung had evolved into the Middle English werking, used both as a noun (the process of doing work) and as a present participle. The adjective senses emerged gradually from the 14th to the 17th centuries: first the literal meaning 'engaged in labour,' then the broader 'relating to work,' followed by the mechanical sense 'functioning' (16th century), and finally the more abstract 'adequate as a basis' and 'successful in operation' senses in the 19th and 20th centuries.