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

• 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

A muted recovery in hiring in Canada last month helped keep the jobless rate steady after the labor market’s weak start to the year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The release of March employment data on Thursday will also be a critical moment since the jobless numbers remain low and the RBA feels as if there remains some tightness in the labor market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Weekly jobless claims and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — the personal-consumption expenditures index for February — and the second revision to fourth-quarter GDP are all due at 8:30 a.m.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

He had been homeless for about five years and jobless even longer, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Perhaps to him I was someone he ought to look out for, a Korean- American, well educated, solitary-looking, seemingly jobless.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee