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

ChatGPT arrived in 2022, and the AI alarmists said white-collar workers were in danger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Yet the Economist reported this year that “since late 2022 America has added roughly 3m white-collar jobs—which include management, professional, sales and office roles,” while blue-collar employment has remained flat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

The report laid out a doom-loop scenario of AI improvements wiping out white-collar employment and driving economic deterioration.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

"They look like a couple of club fighters from a white-collar match in a local leisure centre. It was sad for me to watch."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The east side increasingly became the repository for the town’s white-collar class.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• clerical
• salaried