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

In 2005, an NBA dress code asked players to dress "business casual" while representing the sport - an attempt to banish streetwear from the league.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“We’d literally scramble with a shower, put on our business casual with our dress shirts on, belt, tie, dress shoes,” Mendoza said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

Remember when we were all doing business casual at 3 a.m.?

From Slate • Mar. 18, 2025

In Cortez’s hands, latex becomes printed as leopard and cowhide, it becomes evening wear, sportswear or business casual — from a football tank to a floor-length dress to a blazer.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2024

Seeing Dimple’s face now, taking in his business casual attire, he was kind of glad.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon