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

Synonyms

• inexperienced
• amateur

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

Two thirds of them were unskilled working-class men. —Christopher R. Browning, The New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2025

That doesn't mean that those employees were unskilled. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025

The shortage is especially severe among unskilled labor. —Bahaa Chammout, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025

For example, half as many people work as unskilled helpers now than in 1999. —Bahaa Chammout, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1559, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unskilled

• redistilled
• semiskilled
• unfulfilled
• backfilled
• distilled
• fulfilled
• infilled
• instilled
• rebuild
• refilled
• unfilled
• untilled

Kids 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