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

"I thought there would have been more impact on entry-level white-collar jobs being eliminated by now than has actually happened," he told the conference on Tuesday, as reported by The Australian.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

China’s campaign to accelerate AI adoption, released last August and dubbed “AI+,” gives priority to using the technology in sectors such as manufacturing and logistics, which aren’t as sensitive to white-collar job displacement.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Wardley, whose rise from white-collar boxing to world champion remains one of the sport's most inspirational stories, suffered the first defeat of his professional career but enhanced his reputation in the process.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

Last year, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted External link that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level, white-collar jobs within five years.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

It might seem ludicrous to address as large and intractable a problem as white-collar crime through the life of a bagel man.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• clerical
• salaried