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

Immigrants are now regularly blamed for taking resources from the state, driving an increase in gang and gun violence, and contributing to the country’s high unemployment rate—around eight per cent, twice that of the United States. —Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026

The labor market is the economy’s weak spot now, with unemployment rising since the start of 2023. —Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Inflation and unemployment might break his hold on the public mind. —Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026

During October, Canada’s unemployment rate reached its highest point in nine years. —Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026

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