unemployed
adjective
un·em·ployed
ˌən-im-ˈplȯid 
: not employed:
a
: not being used
unemployed machines
b
: not engaged in a gainful occupation
an unemployed teacher seeking work
15% of the workforce was unemployed.
c
: not invested
unemployed capital
unemployed
noun
Examples of unemployed in a Sentence
the plant closings left a significant portion of the town's population unemployed
Recent Examples on the Web
The firms surveyed 1,480 workers who were unemployed at some point from 2019 to 2024 and the results were provided exclusively to USA TODAY.
Need a break?
—
Paul Davidson, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Over 40 percent of young people in Gabon are unemployed.
—Saikou Jammeh, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The violent anti-tax protests in Kenya also provide an example of desperate unemployed youth tapping into a sense of deep popular resentment over fiscal policies.
—Richard Aidoo, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
In March, long-term unemployed workers make up 22.1 percent of the total unemployed population, up from 20.6 percent in March 2024, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
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.
Paul Davidson, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Over 40 percent of young people in Gabon are unemployed.
—Saikou Jammeh, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The violent anti-tax protests in Kenya also provide an example of desperate unemployed youth tapping into a sense of deep popular resentment over fiscal policies.
—Richard Aidoo, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
In March, long-term unemployed workers make up 22.1 percent of the total unemployed population, up from 20.6 percent in March 2024, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployed
Cite this Entry
“Unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployed. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unemployed
adjective
un·em·ployed
ˌən-im-ˈplȯid
1
: not being used
unemployed tools
2
: not employed : having no job
unemployed workers
unemployed
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share