as in out of work
having no job
the plant closings left a significant portion of the town's population unemployed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 unemployed
The amount of time people are unemployed has been growing longer, but for the first time since 1948, this trend has started without the kickoff of a recession.
—
Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The concept of buying tears from poor and unemployed people, who are excluded from benefits of economic growth, fascinated Ronduda.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
Four years ago, Lame was unemployed and living with his parents.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 29 Jan. 2026
Across Tulsa County, Black people, on average, live six fewer years and are twice as likely as their white peers to be unemployed.
—Caleb Gayle, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The concept of buying tears from poor and unemployed people, who are excluded from benefits of economic growth, fascinated Ronduda.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
Four years ago, Lame was unemployed and living with his parents.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 29 Jan. 2026
Across Tulsa County, Black people, on average, live six fewer years and are twice as likely as their white peers to be unemployed.
—Caleb Gayle, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unemployed
jobless
Adjective
-
Employer plans to hire were also at the lowest since 2009, the tail end of the Great Recession, when the jobless rate hovered near double digits, Challenger said.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Thursday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which balances out some of the week-to-week gyrations, rose by 6,000 to 212,250.—
Matt Ott,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unemployed. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
