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

Seghers shows how the Nazis win over unemployed youth by hosting parades, concerts, and outdoor expeditions. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

The Cockroach movement began as an online satirical campaign this summer after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

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

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