business casual

American  

[biz-nis kazh-oo-uhl] / ˈbɪz nɪs ˌkæʒ u əl /

Also office casual

noun

1. a style of clothing for the office that is casual but neat and professional-looking.

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business casual British  

noun

1. informal  a style of casual clothing worn by businesspeople at work instead of more formal attire

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Etymology

Origin of business casual

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Seventh annual MLK Day Clothing Collection & Community Breakfast: The nonprofit Big Sunday is hosting its annual clothing collection drive and community breakfast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6111 Melrose Ave. Only new clothes — business, casual and athletic wear — will be accepted.

From Los Angeles Times

Business casual dress is preferred.

From Washington Post

The email encouraged employees to volunteer for as many as three 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts, and recommended they wear “comfortable, close-toed shoes and business casual dress.”

From Washington Post

After I graduated from a fancy liberal arts college and failed to get a salaried office job with a business casual dress code and summer Fridays, I decided to take a different path in order to get my dream job working as a food writer.

From Salon

"Most people will prefer the business casual code, which has proved so effective and comfortable in recent months," he said.

From Reuters