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 of unemployed

• 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

Jones was regularly unemployed throughout the relationship, which began in the fall of 2023, according to state prosecutors in Tarrant County. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

One of the newly unemployed is Olivia Siffre (Rachel Keller), a fledgling lawyer who recently moved to California to get away from her hovering, hyper-religious parents. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

More than a dozen garment units at Beximco Industrial Park in Gazipur shuttered as a result, leaving some 40,000 workers unemployed. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

When Alice was unemployed Savage covered her entrance cost every single time. — Candace Hansen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

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