white-collar

[hwahyt-kol-er, wahyt-]

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.

noun

1. a white-collar worker.

white-collar

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

white-collar

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of white-collar¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

With the 1980s came an influx of Western women ascending in white-collar professions — and their increase in power demanded some formidable work wear to match.

From Los Angeles Times

It houses inmates serving time for non-violent offences and white-collar crimes.

From BBC

It forms the backbone of formal, white-collar employment in the country.

From BBC

Earlier this year, Anthropic, an AI startup, flashed a big warning: AI could wipe out more than half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years.

From Los Angeles Times

One Axios headline, for example, warned of a “white-collar bloodbath” resulting from AI taking jobs from humans.

From Salon

Related Words

• clerical 
• salaried