"white-collar" meaning in English

See white-collar in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-PerfectSoundWhatever-white-collar.wav Forms: more white-collar [comparative], most white-collar [superlative]
Etymology: From the color of dress shirts worn by professional and clerical workers, as opposed to the rugged denim and chambray shirts normally worn by manual workers. Head templates: {{en-adj}} white-collar (comparative more white-collar, superlative most white-collar)
  1. Of or pertaining to office work and workers; contrasted with blue-collar. Synonyms: black-coated [dated] Translations (of or pertaining to office work and workers): de guant blanc (Catalan), de coll blanc (Catalan), 白領 (Chinese Mandarin), 白领 (báilǐng) (Chinese Mandarin), witteboorden- (Dutch), valkokaulus- (Finnish), col blanc (French), საოფისე (saopise) (Georgian), საკანცელარიო (saḳancelario) (Georgian), თეთრსაყელოიანი (tetrsaq̇eloiani) (Georgian), kerah putih (Indonesian), ホワイトカラー (howaito karā) (Japanese), 화이트칼라 (hwaiteukalla) (Korean), канцела́риски (kanceláriski) (Macedonian), kolar putih (Malay), de/do colarinho branco (Portuguese), канцеля́рский (kanceljárskij) (Russian), конто́рский (kontórskij) (Russian), о́фисный (ófisnyj) (Russian), «чи́стый» (alt: «čístyj») (Russian), «бе́лый воротничо́к» (alt: «bélyj vorotničók») [masculine, noun] (Russian), coler wen [feminine] (Welsh)
    Sense id: en-white-collar-en-adj--ycDZGcF Disambiguation of 'of or pertaining to office work and workers': 87 13
  2. Pertaining to the culture of white-collar workers, as values, politics, etc.; contrasted with blue-collar. Categories (topical): Sociology
    Sense id: en-white-collar-en-adj-uJesSfyL Disambiguation of Sociology: 31 69 Categories (other): English bahuvrihi compounds, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Georgian translations, Terms with Indonesian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Korean translations, Terms with Macedonian translations, Terms with Malay translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Welsh translations Disambiguation of English bahuvrihi compounds: 29 71 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 26 74 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 27 73 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 25 75 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 28 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 28 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Georgian translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Indonesian translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Korean translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Macedonian translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Malay translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Welsh translations: 28 72
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: whitecollar, white collar Derived forms: white-collar boxing, white-collar crime, white-collar work, white-collar worker Related terms: blue-collar, gray-collar, green-collar, grey-collar, no-collar, open-collar, pink-collar

Alternative forms

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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "white-collar boxing"
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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "white-collar crime"
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      "word": "white-collar work"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "white-collar worker"
    }
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "pl",
            "2": "białe kołnierzyki",
            "cal": "1"
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          "expansion": "→ Polish: białe kołnierzyki (calque)",
          "name": "desc"
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      ],
      "text": "→ Polish: białe kołnierzyki (calque)"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the color of dress shirts worn by professional and clerical workers, as opposed to the rugged denim and chambray shirts normally worn by manual workers.",
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      "form": "more white-collar",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "blue-collar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "gray-collar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "green-collar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "grey-collar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "no-collar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "open-collar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pink-collar"
    }
  ],
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    {
      "categories": [],
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        {
          "ref": "1929 December, Betty Boone, “The Price of this Stardom”, in Screenland, page 22:",
          "text": "This being a motion picture star is a real business. It's a job, and not always a white collar one, either.",
          "type": "quote"
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      ],
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        "Of or pertaining to office work and workers; contrasted with blue-collar."
      ],
      "id": "en-white-collar-en-adj--ycDZGcF",
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      "synonyms": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "dated"
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          "word": "black-coated"
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        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "de guant blanc"
        },
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          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ca",
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          "word": "de coll blanc"
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          "word": "白領"
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        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "báilǐng",
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          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "nl",
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          "word": "witteboorden-"
        },
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          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "valkokaulus-"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "col blanc"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "saopise",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "საოფისე"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "saḳancelario",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "საკანცელარიო"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "tetrsaq̇eloiani",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "თეთრსაყელოიანი"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "kerah putih"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "howaito karā",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "ホワイトカラー"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "hwaiteukalla",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "화이트칼라"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "kanceláriski",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "канцела́риски"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "kolar putih"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "de/do colarinho branco"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "kanceljárskij",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "канцеля́рский"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "kontórskij",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "конто́рский"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "ófisnyj",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "о́фисный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "alt": "«čístyj»",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "word": "«чи́стый»"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "alt": "«bélyj vorotničók»",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "tags": [
            "masculine",
            "noun"
          ],
          "word": "«бе́лый воротничо́к»"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "coler wen"
        }
      ]
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        {
          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "topical",
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          "name": "Sociology",
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          "parents": [
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            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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      "glosses": [
        "Pertaining to the culture of white-collar workers, as values, politics, etc.; contrasted with blue-collar."
      ],
      "id": "en-white-collar-en-adj-uJesSfyL",
      "links": [
        [
          "blue-collar",
          "blue-collar"
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    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "whitecollar"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "white collar"
    }
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  "word": "white-collar"
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{
  "categories": [
    "English adjective-noun compound nouns",
    "English adjectives",
    "English bahuvrihi compounds",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English relational adjectives",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
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    "Terms with Indonesian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
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    "Terms with Macedonian translations",
    "Terms with Malay translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Welsh translations",
    "en:Sociology"
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    {
      "word": "white-collar boxing"
    },
    {
      "word": "white-collar crime"
    },
    {
      "word": "white-collar work"
    },
    {
      "word": "white-collar worker"
    }
  ],
  "descendants": [
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      "depth": 1,
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          "args": {
            "1": "pl",
            "2": "białe kołnierzyki",
            "cal": "1"
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          "expansion": "→ Polish: białe kołnierzyki (calque)",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "→ Polish: białe kołnierzyki (calque)"
    }
  ],
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    {
      "form": "more white-collar",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most white-collar",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "white-collar (comparative more white-collar, superlative most white-collar)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "blue-collar"
    },
    {
      "word": "gray-collar"
    },
    {
      "word": "green-collar"
    },
    {
      "word": "grey-collar"
    },
    {
      "word": "no-collar"
    },
    {
      "word": "open-collar"
    },
    {
      "word": "pink-collar"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1929 December, Betty Boone, “The Price of this Stardom”, in Screenland, page 22:",
          "text": "This being a motion picture star is a real business. It's a job, and not always a white collar one, either.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to office work and workers; contrasted with blue-collar."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "office",
          "office"
        ],
        [
          "blue-collar",
          "blue-collar"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "dated"
          ],
          "word": "black-coated"
        }
      ]
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    {
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      ],
      "links": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "whitecollar"
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      "word": "white collar"
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    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "de guant blanc"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "de coll blanc"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "白領"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "báilǐng",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "白领"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "witteboorden-"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "valkokaulus-"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "col blanc"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "saopise",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "საოფისე"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "saḳancelario",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "საკანცელარიო"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "tetrsaq̇eloiani",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "თეთრსაყელოიანი"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "kerah putih"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "howaito karā",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "ホワイトカラー"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "hwaiteukalla",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "화이트칼라"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "kanceláriski",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "канцела́риски"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "kolar putih"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "de/do colarinho branco"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "kanceljárskij",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "канцеля́рский"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "kontórskij",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "конто́рский"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "ófisnyj",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "о́фисный"
    },
    {
      "alt": "«čístyj»",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "word": "«чи́стый»"
    },
    {
      "alt": "«bélyj vorotničók»",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "noun"
      ],
      "word": "«бе́лый воротничо́к»"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to office work and workers",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "coler wen"
    }
  ],
  "word": "white-collar"
}

Download raw JSONL data for white-collar meaning in English (6.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.