white-collar
2 antonyms for white-collar — opposites grouped by meaning.
Adjective — Relating to professional, managerial or office work rather than manual labour, and to the people who do it.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective
Relating to professional, managerial or office work rather than manual labour, and to the people who do it.
“White-collar jobs are concentrated in the city centre.”
Opposites
Antonyms
How to use white-collar
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
white-collar worker
white-collar job
white-collar crime
white-collar recession
Neutral; hyphenated before a noun and often after it too.
Etymology
From the white dress shirts traditionally worn by office and clerical staff.
Full origin of white-collar →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between white-collar and blue-collar?
White-collar work is done in offices and is typically salaried, professional or administrative. Blue-collar work is manual or skilled trade work — construction, manufacturing, driving, maintenance — and has traditionally been paid hourly. The names come from the shirts each group used to wear, not from pay level, and many blue-collar trades now out-earn office jobs.
What counts as white-collar crime?
Non-violent offences committed for financial advantage in a business or professional setting: fraud, embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, insider dealing and false accounting. The defining features are deception and abuse of a position of trust rather than force.
Are there other collar colours?
Yes, coined by analogy. Pink-collar covers traditionally female service and care roles, green-collar environmental work, grey-collar a mix of skilled manual and technical work, and new-collar technical jobs that need training but not a degree.
