unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 

1

: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers

also : the rate of such unemployment

2

: unemployment compensation

Examples of unemployment in a Sentence

My unemployment lasted about six months.

Unemployment has been increasing for months.

The current unemployment rate is six percent.

Recent Examples on the Web

Perched between China and India, ​the country of 30 million people has been plagued ​for ⁠decades by political instability, crippling a largely agrarian economy and worsening unemployment – structural issues compounded by rampant corruption. —CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026

Another way to address the deficit would be to get Californians off of unemployment benefits — and back to work —faster. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Stock market returns have been uneven and more unpredictable than usual, and on Friday, a new unemployment report not only showed a job loss in February, but also revised downward drops in the two months prior, too. —Matt Richardson, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026

The survey of households, which is used to calculate the unemployment rate, showed an even weaker economic picture. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing unemployment

• anti-unemployment
• unemployment compensation
• unemployment insurance

Rhymes for unemployment

• preemployment
• redeployment
• reemployment
• deployment
• employment
• enjoyment
• underemployment

Kids Definition

unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 

: the state of being out of work