white-collar

American  

[hwahyt-kol-er, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˈkɒl ər, ˈwaɪt- /

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the ranks of office and professional workers whose jobs generally do not involve manual labor or the wearing of a uniform or work clothes.

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noun

1. a white-collar worker.

white-collar British  

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating nonmanual and usually salaried workers employed in professional and clerical occupations Compare blue-collar pink-collar

   white-collar union

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white-collar Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for office workers, who use a minimum of physical exertion, as opposed to blue-collar laborers. Managerial, clerical, and sales jobs are common white-collar occupations.

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Etymology

Origin of white-collar

First recorded in 1920–25

Compare meaning

How does white-collar compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• blue-collar vs. white-collar

Example Sentences

White collar job hiring will begin to collapse, they say.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026

White collar defendants often have the means to put up bond packages, but defendants with limited assets will often use a bail bondsman.

From Reuters • Dec. 22, 2022

White collar workers used to have more freedom in terms of autonomy, but with monitoring, everyone is being surveilled.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2022

White collar crimes can also destroy the lives of the victims.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2018

White collar crime wasn't as good as the Simpsons or Roseanne, so it went largely ignored.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn

Related Words

• clerical
• salaried