unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 

1

: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers

also : the rate of such unemployment

2

: unemployment compensation

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

Consensus estimates point to modest nonfarm payroll growth of 130,000 in April and the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.2%. —Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

And just a year ago, California’s unemployment rate was the largest of any state. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025

Still, once there are clear signs the economy is deteriorating, such as a rising unemployment rate, the Fed will cut rates, regardless of what Trump does, economists said. —Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Santos admitted last August to engaging in a multipronged campaign finance scheme, stealing unemployment benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic and lying on House financial disclosure forms. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing unemployment

• anti-unemployment
• unemployment compensation
• unemployment insurance

Rhymes for unemployment

• preemployment
• redeployment
• reemployment
• deployment
• employment
• enjoyment
• underemployment

Kids Definition

unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 

: the state of being out of work