white-collar
6 synonyms and 2 antonyms for white-collar, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Relating to professional, managerial or office work rather than manual labour, and to the people who do it.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
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
How to Use White-Collar
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
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.