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

Synonyms

• out of work
• jobless

Examples of unemployed in a Sentence

the plant closings left a significant portion of the town's population unemployed

Recent Examples on the Web

And by the way, up to one in five people will soon be unemployed. —IEEE Spectrum, 31 July 2025

The monthly number, which represents the percentage of people who are unemployed and looking for work is expected turn back up to 4.2% when the July jobs report is released on Friday, Aug. 1. —Jim Sergent, USA Today, 30 July 2025

With inflation high but wages low, some unemployed Gen Z grads can’t actually afford the commute, and are having to turn down work for that reason. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 July 2025

By contrast the defendant, a Latino man, had the equivalent of a high school education and had long been unemployed. —Denise Amos, Mercury News, 17 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unemployed

• the unemployed

Rhymes for unemployed

• albuminoid
• arytenoid
• cannabinoid
• carotenoid
• epidermoid
• epithelioid
• meteoroid
• paraboloid
• subarachnoid
• underemployed
• adenoid
• alkaloid

Kids 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