unemployed

[ uhn-em-ploid ]
See synonyms for unemployed on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not employed; without a job; out of work: an unemployed secretary.

  2. not currently in use: unemployed productive capacity.

  1. not productively used: unemployed capital.

nounUsually the unemployed .(used with a plural verb)
  1. people who do not have jobs: programs to help the unemployed.

Origin of unemployed

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; un-1 + employ + -ed2

Other words for unemployed

Words Nearby unemployed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unemployed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unemployed

unemployed

/ (ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd) /


adjective
    • without remunerative employment; out of work

    • (as collective noun; preceded by the): the unemployed

  1. not being used; idle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012