white-collar

adjective

white-col·​lar ˈ(h)wīt-ˈkä-lər 

: of, relating to, or constituting the class of salaried employees whose duties do not call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing compare blue-collar

Examples of white-collar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Amazon—the company that pioneered warehouse automation and made robots the poster child of blue-collar disruption—is now signaling that the white-collar workforce may be first to feel AI’s bite. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025

Many companies have embraced AI, seeing it as a more efficient way to perform tasks previously handled by white-collar office workers. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025

The cuts would total nearly 10% of the company’s corporate jobs, as advances in artificial intelligence stoke fears about the white-collar workforce and the US labor market shows signs of weakening. —Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025

The most recent layoffs represent a small percentage of the automaker’s salaried workforce, but continue a trend of white-collar U.S. headcount reductions. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white-collar

• eurodollar
• caller
• collar
• crawler
• dollar
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller
• squalor

Kids Definition

white-collar

adjective

ˈhwīt-ˈkäl-ər,

ˈwīt-

: of, relating to, or being a member of the class of workers (as clerks and salespersons) whose duties do not require the wearing of work clothes