unskilled
adjective
un·skilled
ˌən-ˈskild 
1
: not skilled in a branch of work : lacking technical training
an unskilled worker
2
: not requiring skill
unskilled jobs
3
: marked by lack of skill
produced unskilled poems
Examples of unskilled in a Sentence
an unskilled handling of the facial features in the portrait explains why it is attributed to “school of Velázquez” and not to the master himself
hired unskilled workers because they would work for lower wages
Recent Examples on the Web
Crawford pushes back against stereotypes that frame blue-collar labor as unskilled, pointing to the intelligence required to understand the technical aspects of complex systems while translating that knowledge to customers.
—
Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2025
Complex negotiations in large organizations often fail—not because the negotiators are inexperienced or unskilled but because they’re constrained by two structural challenges, agency and alignment, and by the ways organizations manage those challenges.
—Danny Ertel, Harvard Business Review, 8 Dec. 2025
According to the forecast, about 72% of the Valley's workforce is considered unskilled, leaving the region more vulnerable to a downturn than the state and nation as a whole.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
In contrast to many European countries, for instance, whose modern histories of immigration go back to the mid-twentieth century, Japan has not accepted generations of unskilled workers from poor, developing countries or adopted formal guest-worker programs.
—Gracia Liu-Farrer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unskilled
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Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2025
Complex negotiations in large organizations often fail—not because the negotiators are inexperienced or unskilled but because they’re constrained by two structural challenges, agency and alignment, and by the ways organizations manage those challenges.
—Danny Ertel, Harvard Business Review, 8 Dec. 2025
According to the forecast, about 72% of the Valley's workforce is considered unskilled, leaving the region more vulnerable to a downturn than the state and nation as a whole.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
In contrast to many European countries, for instance, whose modern histories of immigration go back to the mid-twentieth century, Japan has not accepted generations of unskilled workers from poor, developing countries or adopted formal guest-worker programs.
—Gracia Liu-Farrer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unskilled
Cite this Entry
“Unskilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unskilled. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unskilled
adjective
un·skilled
ˌən-ˈskild
ˈən-
1
: not skilled
especially
: not skilled in a branch of work : lacking mechanical training
an unskilled worker
2
: not requiring skill
unskilled jobs
3
: marked by lack of skill
an unskilled painting
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