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

Frustrations have been mounting among young people in Nepal over the country's unemployment and wealth gap. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025

The youth organization received funding from the Homewards Fund to expand its services for local young people, helping to break the cycles of exclusion and unemployment. —Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025

The summer months of June, July and August saw average payroll growth of just 29,000 per month, below the break-even level for keeping the unemployment rate steady. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025

Full employment is generally defined as an unemployment rate between 4% and 6%. —Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 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