unemployment
Americannoun
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the state of being unemployed, especially involuntarily.
Automation poses a threat of unemployment for many unskilled workers.
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the number of persons who are unemployed.
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Informal. unemployment benefit.
noun
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the condition of being unemployed
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the number of unemployed workers, often as a percentage of the total labour force
Usage
What does unemployment mean? Unemployment is the state of not having a paid job—of being unemployed. Unemployment is also commonly used in the context of economics to mean the total number of people unemployed, such as in a country, as in Unemployment is down this quarter, with thousands of new jobs having been created. The opposite of this is employment—the total number of people who are employed. Employment also commonly means the state of being employed. The word unemployment is sometimes used as a short and informal way of referring to an unemployment benefit, which is an allowance of money paid to unemployed workers, such as by the government. People receiving such a benefit are often said to be receiving unemployment. Example: Unemployment is extremely stressful when you go months without any job prospects.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of unemployment
First recorded in 1885–90; un- 1 + employment
Explanation
Unemployment refers to not having a job. The more people have work, the less unemployment there is. When you're employed by someone, you work for them: employment is a job. Therefore, unemployment is the lack of a job. Economists often talk about how much unemployment there is and whether the unemployment rate is increasing or decreasing. If it's up, that's bad for the economy, because more people are out of work. Sometimes, the government provides unemployment benefits for people who have recently lost their jobs.
Vocabulary lists containing unemployment
Eastern Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Introductory
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The Great Depression and The New Deal
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Over the past two years the teen unemployment rate has risen, from about 11% to more than 14%, as seasonal hiring at restaurants and amusement parks pulled back and automation crept into the entry rung.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The tournament also created jobs for the country which had 25% unemployment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
South Africa has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the world at around 33% - mainly affecting young people.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Yet the job market that fresh graduates enter is no longer as rosy as it once was, with high youth unemployment a significant concern.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
In a country with a 70-percent unemployment rate, the capital offered the most opportunities for work, often as servants for the wealthy.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
