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

Consider what happened, for example, when Germany chose to address domestic unemployment in the 1990s with the Hartz reforms of 2003–5. —Michael Pettis, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2025

Meanwhile, the Labor Department will release its numbers on September hiring and unemployment on Thursday. —Kendall Wright, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2025

The resulting credit crunch in America pushed unemployment up to 20 percent and, with businesses failing all over the country, a new party, the Populist Party, which was determined to free the US dollar from the shackles of gold, began to mobilize as a third force in US politics. —David McWilliams, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025

All have regularly reported double-digit unemployment rates. —JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 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