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
Examples of unemployed in a Sentence
the plant closings left a significant portion of the town's population unemployed
Recent Examples on the Web
Substack, one of its largest competitors, was primarily a platform for writers, becoming the de-facto home for independent (and/or unemployed) journalists and bloggers.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 17 Nov. 2025
In 1894, the first ever mass march in American history called on the government to hire unemployed men to build public infrastructure financed by a public deficit that would be enabled by a move from the restrictive Gold Standard to a looser silver standard.
—David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
And after losing a job, Black women tend to remain unemployed for longer than other workers — a worrying trend that dates back to the Great Recession.
—Ebonie Walker, Refinery29, 14 Nov. 2025
In June 2025, Australian outlet 9News reported that Wen was unemployed and had accumulated $20,000 in fines due to his incidents.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Max Tani, semafor.com, 17 Nov. 2025
In 1894, the first ever mass march in American history called on the government to hire unemployed men to build public infrastructure financed by a public deficit that would be enabled by a move from the restrictive Gold Standard to a looser silver standard.
—David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
And after losing a job, Black women tend to remain unemployed for longer than other workers — a worrying trend that dates back to the Great Recession.
—Ebonie Walker, Refinery29, 14 Nov. 2025
In June 2025, Australian outlet 9News reported that Wen was unemployed and had accumulated $20,000 in fines due to his incidents.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
Cite this Entry
“Unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployed. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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