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

The public sector – primarily state and local governments – shed jobs last month as did white-collar industries such as information (tech), professional and business services, and financial activities. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Boeing’s white-collar union approved a new four-year contract, averting a potential strike. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

In other white-collar fields, like legal services or copywriting, AI is hitting labor markets that were roughly in balance. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

The Justice Department, for instance, decimated its elite Public Integrity Section in early 2025 while the FBI disbanded a white-collar fraud and public corruption squad based out of its Washington field office. — Patrick Whittle, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white-collar

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

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