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

Their speakers are unemployed or precariously employed and geographically displaced, subject either to forced immobility or migration. —Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025

Federal employees who continue to work without being paid are not regarded as unemployed and do not qualify for unemployment benefits, EDD said. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025

According to the incident report, Jahn was unemployed and didn't have friends or a romantic partner. —Caroline Love, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025

Job growth in recent months has been anemic, people are staying unemployed for longer, and there are now more unemployed people seeking work than there are job openings. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 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