unemployment

[ uhn-em-ploi-muhnt ]
See synonyms for unemployment on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the state of being unemployed, especially involuntarily: Automation poses a threat of unemployment for many unskilled workers.

  2. the number of persons who are unemployed.

Origin of unemployment

1
First recorded in 1885–90; un-1 + employment

Other words from unemployment

  • an·ti·un·em·ploy·ment, adjective

Words Nearby unemployment

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

How to use unemployment in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unemployment

unemployment

/ (ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt) /


noun
  1. the condition of being unemployed

  2. the number of unemployed workers, often as a percentage of the total labour force

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