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

Ironically, the loss of many white-collar jobs will raise the importance and prestige of artisans and craftsmen—the skilled people who can actually make things—and farmers who grow food. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

There has been no economy-wide wave of white-collar layoffs. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Anthropic’s Dario Amodei has said AI could erase half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years; Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman has put most white-collar automation inside 12 to 18 months. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Newsom said the state tracker is the first of its kind in the nation as California companies like OpenAI and Anthropic have exploded in growth and simultaneously warned that their products could render most white-collar jobs obsolete. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 25 June 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