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

With 34,000 jobs lost across the financial activities and information sectors in January, there is some evidence of automation beginning to hit white-collar workers.

From Barron's

The past year was lackluster for many white-collar workers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Plus, white-collar workers who switched to a trade and the labor market’s ‘deep freeze.’

From The Wall Street Journal

Landing a white-collar job is getting so tough that candidates—not companies—are paying recruiters to match them with positions, a reversal of the traditional model.

From The Wall Street Journal

These white-collar workers ditched their careers for jobs they hope AI can’t replace.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• clerical
• salaried