white-collar

Definitions of White-collar

1. (adjective) Of or relating to individuals who work in offices or other professional settings.
2. (adjective) Of or relating to work done by such individuals.

White-collar Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: white col·lar

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /waɪt-ˈkɑlər/
• British English – /ˌwʌɪtˈkɒlə/

Usage Notes

• Plural: white-collars
• White-collar is a reference to the white dress shirts worn by professionals such as bankers and lawyers.
• White-collar is contrasted to blue-collar.

Related Video

Additional Information

• Politics and Policy Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “white-collar” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Coleman, James William. 1994. The Criminal Elite: The Sociology of White-collar Crime. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
• Friedrichs, David O. 1996. Trusted Criminals: White Collar Crime in Contemporary Society. Belmont: Wadsworth.
• Sutherland, Edwin Hardin. 1949. White Collar Crime. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Related Terms

• class
• crime
• criminology
• economics
• individual
• institution
• norm
• organized crime
• power
• victimless crime

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Works Consulted

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of White-collar

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “white-collar.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

white-collar. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “white-collar.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“white-collar.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar/>.