jobless

American  

[job-lis] / ˈdʒɒb lɪs /

adjective

1. without a job.

2. noting or pertaining to people without jobs, especially to those who are seeking employment.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. unemployed people collectively, especially those who are seeking a job.

jobless British  

/ ˈdʒɒblɪs /

adjective

1. 1. unemployed

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the jobless

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• joblessness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of jobless

First recorded in 1800–10; job ¹ + -less

Explanation

If you're jobless, you don't currently have a job. If you quit your early morning job at the donut shop, you'll be able to sleep late again, but you'll be jobless. The word jobless can be substituted for unemployed. Life can be difficult in a city with a large number of jobless people, and it's especially hard for an older worker to suddenly find herself jobless. The word dates from the early 20th century, and the job at the heart of it comes from the phrase jobbe of worke, or "piece of work," possibly related to gob, "mass or lump."

Example Sentences

Roughly one in six Chinese between the ages of 16 and 24, excluding students, are jobless, according to official data.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

U.S. jobless claims rose to 225,000 last week, but the level was still within a range consistent with a healthy labor market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

The raw or actual number of new jobless claims, on the other hand, fell slightly to 187,978.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

According to Eurostat, the jobless rate across the 21-member currency bloc held steady at 6.3%, with the number of unemployed people falling by 84,000 compared with March.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Economic stimulus packages could have sailed through Congress to bail out those trapped in jobless ghettos through no fault of their own.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander