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

Likewise, a recent analysis measuring AI exposure risk across various sectors of the economy suggests that workers whose jobs involve tasks that AI can do are actually much less likely than other workers to be unemployed. —Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Enter Montgomery Clift as Morris Townsend, a charming but wildly unemployed suitor well aware of the fortune she’s poised to inherit. —Elle Carroll, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025

The monthly number represents the percentage of people who are unemployed and looking for work. —Jim Sergent, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025

Americans who lose their job are now staying unemployed for longer as businesses stall on making decisions, including hiring, as the trade war continues to raise costs. —Lucy Bayly, CNN Money, 27 July 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