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

The groups blame migrants for high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Hilton pointed to the size of the state budget, the homelessness crisis, high taxes, the cost of living, the unemployment rate and the business climate to argue that 15 years of Democratic control has proved disastrous in California. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

South Africa’s unemployment rate climbed to its highest level since 2022 in the second quarter, official data showed. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The first is to stop treating the unemployment rate as the labor market indicator that matters. — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 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