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

Human-resources executives say they are aware of the concerns of the white-collar workforce.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley went further: “Artificial intelligence is going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The kind of job insecurity that once seemed the province of hourly, blue-collar jobs haunts white-collar professions these days.

From The Wall Street Journal

That means big changes in a labor market where retail and white-collar hiring have stalled.

From The Wall Street Journal

Few are tracking Chinese consumer data as a leading indicator for U.S. white-collar disruption.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• clerical
• salaried