unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt How to pronounce unemployment (audio)
Synonyms of unemploymentnext
1
: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers
also : the rate of such unemployment
2

Examples of unemployment in a Sentence

My unemployment lasted about six months. Unemployment has been increasing for months. The current unemployment rate is six percent.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
For most Americans, skipping work for almost three months with little explanation would be a one-way ticket to unemployment. Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 May 2026 That stretch of unemployment even had Evans once considering a different path. Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026 But the damage was already done in a vast nation where youth unemployment remains stubbornly entrenched. Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 May 2026 State economists have previously suggested the rise in unemployment isn’t simply about people losing their jobs, but about new entrants to the workforce taking longer to find work, while more people are retiring, leading to a shrinking of the overall labor pool. News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for unemployment

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unemployment was in 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment. Accessed 24 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

unemployment

noun
un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt How to pronounce unemployment (audio)
: the state of being out of work
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