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

I have a name, a body of work, but there are people who are jobless, stripped of their pensions and left in a state of utter abandonment.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Weekly jobless claims, housing starts and the Philly Fed manufacturing survey are due at 8:30 a.m.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

U.S. jobless claims fell to 209,000 in the week through May 16, signaling a stable labor market.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

He was jobless, broke and living at his parents’ vacation home in Santa Barbara.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Tenants, made jobless by the fever, ran out of rent money and were turned out of their homes.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy