UNEMPLOYED Synonyms: 7 Similar and Opposite Words

unemployed

adjective

ˌən-im-ˈplȯid

Definition of unemployed

as in out of work

having no job the plant closings left a significant portion of the town's population unemployed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 More than a dozen garment units at Beximco Industrial Park in Gazipur shuttered as a result, leaving some 40,000 workers unemployed. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 When Alice was unemployed Savage covered her entrance cost every single time. — Candace Hansen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 This year, for example, Beijing ordered that unemployed university graduates be offered vocational training. — The Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026 Otherwise, unemployed young people can become a source of instability. — Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unemployed

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unemployed

jobless

Adjective

Initial jobless claims for the week ending October 10 ticked up by 1,000 to 199,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
New retail sales figures and weekly jobless claims are also slated for release at that time.

— Fred Imbert, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of jobless

Browse Nearby Words

unemployable

unemployed

unemployment

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unemployed. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unemployed

adjective

Example Sentences

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