unemployed

adjective

un·​em·​ployed ˌən-im-ˈplȯid How to pronounce unemployed (audio)
: not employed:
a
: not being used
unemployed machines
b
: not engaged in a gainful occupation
an unemployed teacher seeking work
15% of the workforce was unemployed.
c
: not invested
unemployed capital
unemployed noun

Examples of unemployed in a Sentence

the plant closings left a significant portion of the town's population unemployed
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lower-income Americans may be unemployed or underemployed, therefore lacking access to comprehensive health care coverage. Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025 Investigators traced the number to an unemployed plumber, Michael King, who was going through foreclosure and owned a green Camaro. Mason Leath, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2025 Sitting my Black a-- at home, unemployed … playing damn tiddlywinks. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025 However, being unemployed stripped away my defenses and revealed a deep need for ancestral guidance in a season when my world felt unstable. Essence, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unemployed

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unemployed was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployed. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

unemployed

adjective
un·​em·​ployed ˌən-im-ˈplȯid How to pronounce unemployed (audio)
1
: not being used
unemployed tools
2
: not employed : having no job
unemployed workers
unemployed noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unemployed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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