UNEMPLOYMENT Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

unemployment

noun

Definition of unemployment

as in joblessness

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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 unemployment Lula can point to low unemployment and easing inflation, but those indicators have not changed perceptions for households struggling with everyday prices. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 The government has encouraged employers to do their part to reduce the youth unemployment rate, and Amazon is the latest company to pick up the baton. — Kristen Parisi, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Compare that to the country’s overall unemployment rate, which is hovering around 4%. — John Gill, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 According to WalletHub, the city has one of the country’s lowest unemployment rates along with the 34th-best annual job growth rate, giving students opportunities to find work during college and after graduation. — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unemployment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unemployment

Noun

The median spell of unemployment lasts about 11 weeks, and the average is more than six months, suggesting rising levels of long periods of joblessness.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
In August, the average unemployed person had been out of work for more than six months, the longest average stretch of joblessness since February 2022.

— Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of joblessness

Noun

The initial Russian campaign represents completely irrational force employment and, in many cases, frankly, nonemployment.

— Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2022
The nonemployment crisis of the 2010s and the opioid crisis of the 2010s weren’t completely separate.

— New York Times, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2020

Definition of nonemployment

Noun

The stadium’s public ownership alone does not establish a violation; the government’s involvement in the removals would be a key question.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
People in the country longer may have more opportunities to contest their removal while the government typically has greater authority to fast-track deportations for people arrested at the border.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of removal

Noun

All five students sought to appeal their dismissals but say that the university blocked access to their education records, which the students allege is a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

— Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
In Virginia, a judge’s finding that Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed led to the dismissal of indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Atty.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismissal

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Style

“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unemployment. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unemployment

noun

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