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

Khan, whose estate has not become an AI hub in the way that London’s King’s Cross district has, says there’s no sign yet that AI will empty Canary Wharf of its white-collar workers. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Inundated with messaging around AI displacing entry-level, white-collar work, many have sought refuge in trade positions. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Henderson is a longtime white-collar civil litigation attorney. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Gray expects a similar divergence across white-collar industries, particularly as companies move from business models built around selling seats, labor or access toward models increasingly defined by outcomes. — Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 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