jobless

[job-lis]

adjective

1. without a job.

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

noun

(used with a plural verb)

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

ˈjobless

/ ˈdʒɒblɪs /

adjective

1. 1. unemployed

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the jobless

Other Word Forms

• joblessness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jobless¹

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

Example Sentences

Wall Street got updates on durable goods and weekly jobless claims, neither of which significantly shifted a resurgence in optimism surrounding a December interest-rate cut.

Read more on Barron's

The Fed’s Beige Book, or summary of current economic conditions, is due Wednesday along with weekly jobless claims and durable goods order data.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, initial jobless claims will likely be the first indicator of a turning point in the labor market.

Read more on Barron's

Weekly jobless claims will also figure prominently as well, particularly because it’s a very timely data set that was still available during the pandemic thanks to state data.

Read more on Barron's

Separately, the Labor Department released updated weekly jobless claims that suggest layoffs didn’t rise sharply during the government shutdown, which ended last week.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal