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
The suspect lives in Dunn and described himself as unemployed, with a monthly income of $1,826 a month, court records show.
—
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 5 Dec. 2025
Those experiencing unemployment also see higher levels of loneliness, with 34% of retirees and 40% of working adults reportedly feeling lonely, compared 57% of unemployed adults reporting feeling isolated.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
The novel centers on Rosa Rubinsky, broke and unemployed, who spends her free time taking tours of NBC and going to movies.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The former features a deepfake rendering of Whitney Houston’s face on an actress’s body, while the latter comprises the full-body scan of an unemployed worker, part of a series predicting the range of professions that eventually will be eliminated by AI.
—Tim Griffin, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
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Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 5 Dec. 2025
Those experiencing unemployment also see higher levels of loneliness, with 34% of retirees and 40% of working adults reportedly feeling lonely, compared 57% of unemployed adults reporting feeling isolated.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
The novel centers on Rosa Rubinsky, broke and unemployed, who spends her free time taking tours of NBC and going to movies.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The former features a deepfake rendering of Whitney Houston’s face on an actress’s body, while the latter comprises the full-body scan of an unemployed worker, part of a series predicting the range of professions that eventually will be eliminated by AI.
—Tim Griffin, Artforum, 1 Dec. 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 15 Dec. 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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