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English Lexicon

White-collar worker

/ˈwaɪtˌkɒl.ə ˈwɜː.kər/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #4500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

1 sense
As noun
  1. 1

    A person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work in an office or similar professional environment rather than physical labor.

    "The corporate headquarters hired dozens of new white-collar workers to expand its marketing division."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Coined in the early 20th century, the term derives from the traditional preference of office workers to wear white collared shirts to work, distinguishing them from manual laborers who wore blue shirts. The phrase reflects historical socioeconomic divisions between administrative, professional desk jobs and industrial, manual labor.

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