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as in use
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose the employment of the kitchen oven as a storage cupboard had predictably disastrous results

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun employment differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of employment are business, calling, métier, occupation, pursuit, and work. While all these words mean "a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living," employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer.

your employment with this firm is hereby terminated

When is business a more appropriate choice than employment?

While in some cases nearly identical to employment, business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs.

the business of managing a hotel

When would calling be a good substitute for employment?

In some situations, the words calling and employment are roughly equivalent. However, calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession.

the ministry seemed my true calling

When can métier be used instead of employment?

The meanings of métier and employment largely overlap; however, métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted.

acting was my one and only métier

In what contexts can occupation take the place of employment?

While the synonyms occupation and employment are close in meaning, occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training.

his occupation as a trained auto mechanic

When is it sensible to use pursuit instead of employment?

The words pursuit and employment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest.

her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit

When might work be a better fit than employment?

Although the words work and employment have much in common, work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not.

her work as a hospital volunteer

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of employment The rate of layoffs as a percentage of total employment, however, remains below pre-pandemic averages. Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 June 2025 But several forces create headwinds for a broad resurgence of manufacturing employment, especially one centered in Rust Belt states from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania: The tariffs themselves don’t create jobs instantly. Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2025 Only the private sector can deliver employment at the scale required. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 Loss of scientific workforce For many researchers in trans health, the losses from these cuts go beyond employment. Paz Galupo, The Conversation, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for employment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for employment
Noun
  • Any reductions in opioid use—even small ones—are a positive sign, added Amanda Williams, PhD, professor of clinical health psychology at University College London.
    Kristen Fischer, Health, 14 June 2025
  • The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • The profession requires nuanced assessment, relationship-building, and constant intervention adjustment that AI simply cannot replicate.
    Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • With the show, the verité filmmaker aims to uncover the human element of this high-gloss profession.
    Angelique Jackson, Variety, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Detailing his gofer duties today to the court, Kaplan is known to have left Combs’ employ after a year, in some part due to the violence he is said to have seen.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 May 2025
  • Lowe’s employs about 300,000 people, mostly hourly.
    Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • The high court is expected to issue order lists on applications over the next three Mondays in June.
    Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
  • However, the idea of the prospective name change was dropped when the passports for Harry and Meghan's son Archie, 6, and daughter Lilibet, 4, arrived almost six months after their applications were first submitted.
    Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • Khalil is not accused of participating in the building occupation and wasn’t among the people arrested in connection with the demonstrations.
    Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
  • During the brief Italian occupation of the Dodecanese Islands, Benito Mussolini used the castle as a holiday home.
    CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • Hayden has been surplus to requirements during most of Howe’s tenure.
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 June 2025
  • And a lack of both discipline and points — as demonstrated during most of Daboll’s tenure — is a bad combination and sign for 2025.
    Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • In Gilbert’s hands, reappraising the decade from a feminist perspective is more an exercise in cataloguing than in analysis: the ideology of the era is not subtle, and its narratives don’t need decoding.
    Dayna Tortorici, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
  • At his age, Jones thoroughly believes exercise is essential to living a full, healthy life — not just physically, but mentally.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Gerry appreciated that his mission, his calling, his vocation was to meet the needs of all his constituents, not least those underserved.
    Paul Laudicina, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • The purpose of higher education should be for students to continue to develop critical thinking skills, to grow, to question, to learn, to mature, and to hopefully develop knowledge that will serve those students in a vocation.
    Rep. Steve Weir, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Employment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/employment. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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