unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt How to pronounce unemployment (audio)
1
: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers
also : the rate of such unemployment
2

Examples of unemployment in a Sentence

My unemployment lasted about six months. Unemployment has been increasing for months. The current unemployment rate is six percent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Factors like a low unemployment rate and high average income help residents purchase property, pay down debt and save for the future. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025 Trump’s efforts to constrain immigration during his first term played out in a similar fashion; by 2019, the unemployment rate had dropped to 3.5%, its lowest level since 1969, with earnings up 3.5% from 2018. Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 14 June 2025 Since leaving school, my friend has had long periods of unemployment or short periods working here, there and everywhere. Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 13 June 2025 According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for the last five classes of college graduates has skyrocketed 40% in two years to 5.8%: a 30-year high and, for the first time ever, well above the national unemployment rate (4%). Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for unemployment

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unemployment was in 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

unemployment

noun
un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt How to pronounce unemployment (audio)
: the state of being out of work
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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