Meanings
- derogatorypluralplural onlyAnonymous office workers.
The fourth group is made up of office employees, the so-called "office plankton," "white-collar workers" or ...
2008, The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press, page 75 more examples
They were workaholics in their 20s — “office plankton,” as they are sometimes called here — punchy from an apocalypse-themed office party, some headed for winter vacations in Egypt and Turkey.
2011 December 23, Ellen Barry, “Young and Connected, 'Office Plankton' Protesters Surprise Russia”, in The New York TimesBut how can you invent a distinction if you feel you are part of ordinary office plankton? What if this is how the people around view you?
2012, Polina Kudiyevskaya, Gennadiy Balashov, How to Become an Adventurist? The Reflections of a MillionaireWhat type of personality and whose values — the traditional worker or "the office plankton" — are preferable?
2013, Slovo: Issues 63-65Office plankton is mentioned often are numerous small employees, which salary is a little connected with result of their work.
2018, Due Machiavelli, Niccolo Machiavelli, The President / The PrinceWashington office plankton, as it turns out, are unhappy that the commander-in-chief did not heed their opinion.
2019 November 6, Gary Gindler, “Who Can Stop Trump Now?”, in American Thinker
Origin
- Russianо́фисный планкто́н
- Englishoffice plankton
Calque of Russian о́фисный планкто́н (ófisnyj planktón) having the same meaning.
More words from Russian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
office plankton. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/office%20plankton
“office plankton.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/office%20plankton. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “office plankton,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/office%20plankton.
Source: office plankton on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.