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

That’s what happened in October 2019, when demonstrations against corruption and high unemployment broke out across Iraq, leading to street clashes that left hundreds of people dead. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025

The rate of unemployment was at a 45-year high in 2017-18, according to government statistics. —Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

The shift comes as unemployment among recent college graduates was over 5% in August, outpacing the national unemployment rate of 4%. —Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

The Unemployment Insurance program is jointly financed through federal and state employer payroll taxes, providing temporary cash benefits to eligible workers who are experiencing unemployment. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 26 Oct. 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