unemployed
adjective
un·em·ployed
ˌən-im-ˈplȯid 
: 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
In the state of Haryana, the government and two big rideshare firms, Uber and Ola, partnered to provide driving jobs for thousands of unemployed youths.
—
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
For the first time in years, there are more people unemployed than jobs available, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Kiran Ridley / Getty Images The first suspect is an Algerian national, 34, who was unemployed at the time of his arrest but had previously worked as a delivery driver.
—Nick Duffy, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
The list included an engineering graduate from Odisha, a school dropout from Uttarakhand and several unemployed men from West Bengal.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
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John Cassidy, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
For the first time in years, there are more people unemployed than jobs available, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Kiran Ridley / Getty Images The first suspect is an Algerian national, 34, who was unemployed at the time of his arrest but had previously worked as a delivery driver.
—Nick Duffy, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
The list included an engineering graduate from Odisha, a school dropout from Uttarakhand and several unemployed men from West Bengal.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
Cite this Entry
“Unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployed. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unemployed
adjective
un·em·ployed
ˌən-im-ˈplȯid
1
: not being used
unemployed tools
2
: not employed : having no job
unemployed workers
unemployed
noun
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