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

Second, while the unemployment rate ticked down, that was due to a drop in people who are unemployed that are actively seeking employment. —Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

But for now, for the millions of currently unemployed Gen Zers who have a reputation for ghosting employers, facing their phone anxiety is the first foot in the door. —Brit Morse, Fortune, 6 July 2025

Through the first four months of the year, the number of 20- to 24-year-olds who are long-term unemployed (jobless at least six months) is up 32% compared to the same period in 2019, Labor figures show. —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 2 July 2025

Separately, new data showed that unemployed Americans are having an increasingly harder time finding work. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 26 June 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