unemployed

adjective un·em·ployed \ ˌən-im-ˈplȯid \

Definition of unemployed

:not employed:

a :not being used

b :not engaged in a gainful occupation

c :not invested

—

unemployed

noun

See unemployed defined for English-language learners

See unemployed defined for kids

Examples of unemployed in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of unemployed from the Web

Bloomberg Intelligence: Provident Financial Isn’t Canary in Coal Mine; Vanquis a Concern Provident serves 2.4 million customers, many of them unemployed or on welfare.

— stephen morris, Bloomberg.com, "U.K. Subprime Lender Plunges More Than 70%," 22 Aug. 2017
The July rate represents about 96,251 unemployed persons in Alabama, down from 100,187 in June.

— lee roop, AL.com, "Huntsville grocery store has eclipse glasses - and lines," 18 Aug. 2017
The unemployed worker count, however, is down 18.6 percent from July 2016.

— ally marotti, chicagotribune.com, "Illinois' unemployment rate up slightly in July," 17 Aug. 2017
In 2015, the Economic Policy Institute found that black people are twice as likely to be unemployed as whites, regardless of their level of education.

— virgie townsend, Harper's BAZAAR, "I Am a Descendant of Slaveholders. Charlottesville Demands My Honesty About White Supremacy.," 17 Aug. 2017
The two-decade-old Hartz reforms — named after Peter Hartz, head of a German commission on labor-market reforms — have created a number of vocational retraining initiatives for the unemployed.

— milton ezrati, National Review, "Globalization Can Be Good for American Workers," 7 Aug. 2017
In 1967, 25-30 percent of Black youth were unemployed.

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "'Detroit:' The Real Story Behind One Of The Most Horrific Police Brutality Events In History," 3 Aug. 2017
On March 30, Trump signed a law that requires the unemployed to undergo a drug test before receiving compensation benefits from the government.

— araceli cruz, Teen Vogue, "5 Problematic Laws You Didn’t Know Trump Passed," 20 July 2017
Carr, who is unemployed, suspects it's been difficult to find steady work due to the visible impacts of her bleaching.

— marlon james, Marie Claire, "Why Black Women in a Predominately Black Culture Are Still Bleaching Their Skin," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unemployed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unemployed

15th century

unemployed Synonyms

Synonyms

jobless, out of work

Antonyms

employed, working

Related Words

subemployed, underemployed

Near Antonyms

self-employed

UNEMPLOYED Defined for English Language Learners

unemployed

adjective

Definition of unemployed for English Language Learners

: having no job : not employed

UNEMPLOYED Defined for Kids

unemployed

adjective un·em·ployed \ ˌən-im-ˈplȯid \

Definition of unemployed for Students

:having no job :not employed

unemployed workers

Learn More about unemployed

See words that rhyme with unemployed Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unemployed Spanish Central: Translation of unemployed Nglish: Translation of unemployed for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of unemployed for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up unemployed? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

unemployed

Definition of unemployed

unemployed

People Are Reading

Examples of unemployed in a Sentence

Recent Examples of unemployed from the Web

First Known Use of unemployed

unemployed Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to UNEMPLOYED

Related Phrases

UNEMPLOYED Defined for English Language Learners

unemployed

Definition of unemployed for English Language Learners

UNEMPLOYED Defined for Kids

unemployed

Definition of unemployed for Students

Learn More about unemployed

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066