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

Fears of a bubble in artificial intelligence have coincided with worker anxiety and Gen Z despair over an elevated unemployment rate and a dearth of entry-level positions. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025

But the Golden Twenties turned out to be not so gilded for the hundreds of thousands who lost their jobs in the wake of the world economic crisis of 1929, sending the unemployment rate to over 30 percent by 1932. —Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

The state’s unemployment rate has risen three-tenths of a percentage point since January. —Arkansas Online, 9 Dec. 2025

Young people are also facing a higher unemployment rate. —Essence, 8 Dec. 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