low technologyn.adj.
/ˌləʊtɛkˈnɒlədʒi/, U.S. /ˌloʊtɛkˈnɑlədʒi/ A. n.
Simple or basic technology; (relatively) unsophisticated technology; an instance or example of this. Opposed to high technology.
ΚΠ
1940 E. E. Evans-Pritchard Nuer x. 89 Nuer have, it will be acknowledged, a low technology which..may be supposed to have some effect on their social relations and character.
1973 R. K. Merton Sociol. of Sci. vi. 154 In this passage he is evidently concerned with the low technology of everyday life in nonliterate societies.
1982 R. Cavendish Women on Line 172 The policy of using cheap labour and low technology must be more profitable than modernising.
1993 Leonardo 26 316/3 Current concentration on high technologies should be accompanied by the development of low technologies which..would also integrate countries in the Third World into the international network.
2007 Business Recorder (Nexis) 13 Aug. According to experts, Pakistan scores relatively low on export sophistication because of low technology.
B. adj.
Usually with hyphen. Using, requiring, or characterized by simple or unsophisticated technology. Opposed to high-technology.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > [adjective] > types of industry generally
heavy1888
light industrial1919
sheltered1924
military-industrial1925
Tayacian1934
footloose1939
linked1942
low technology1956
high technology1964
smokestack1976
old economy1990
1956 Jrnl. Farm Econ. 38 708 Problems in high-population, low-technology, law-income countries.
1973 Newsweek 18 June 92/2 As their old, low-technology industries wilt under the pressure of mounting labor costs.
1983 Fortune 7 Mar. 110/2 To a large extent the products out-sourced are low-technology items such as window cranks, seat fabrics, and plastic knobs.
1993 Internat. Jrnl. Food Sci. & Nutrition 43 216/2 The first two types of processes can be described as simple, low-technology, low-cost and semi-artisanal.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1940