jobless

[job-lis]

See more synonyms for jobless on Thesaurus.com

adjective

without a job.
noting or pertaining to persons without jobs, especially to those who are seeking employment.

noun

(used with a plural verb) unemployed people collectively, especially those who are seeking a job (usually preceded by the).

Origin of jobless

First recorded in 1800–10; job¹ + -less

Related formsjob·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for joblessness

stagnation, lethargy, torpor, dormancy, torpidity, slothfulness, slouch, idleness, sloth, leisure, loafing, shiftlessness, stupor, slowness, truancy, indolence, inertness, inertia, trifling, dawdling

Examples from the Web for joblessness

Contemporary Examples of joblessness

In a country nearly crushed by poverty and joblessness, there is little money left over for making the prisons humane and livable.
Out and Proud in El Salvador’s Murderous Gangland
Gene Robinson
July 13, 2014
The youth are desperate because of the hardship of life here and the joblessness.
PLO Official: Al-Qaeda To Target Lebanese Christians
Jamie Dettmer
February 7, 2014
It is the same liberal whites and Latinos and blacks, the same problems of poverty and housing and joblessness.
Charlie Rangel on Immigration, Pope Francis & His Successor
David Freedlander
August 2, 2013
There, despite his youth and joblessness, Andre was celebrated as a devoted dad.
New New Fatherhood in the Inner City
Dana Goldstein
July 2, 2013
If elite interest in joblessness has collapsed, however, it's not because the emergency has been resolved.
What Didn't Come Up in Today's Presidential Press Conference?
David Frum
April 30, 2013

Historical Examples of joblessness

Economics (income level, joblessness, opportunity) plays a critical role in the life of the young and of their progenitors.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
It was clear that Eunice was somewhat concerned concerning Kinnison's joblessness; but Kinnison was not.
Triplanetary
Edward Elmer Smith

British Dictionary definitions for joblessness

jobless

adjective

1. unemployed
2. (as collective noun; preceded by the)the jobless

Derived Formsjoblessness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for joblessness

jobless

1905 (adj.), 1909 (n.), from job (n.) + -less. Related: Joblessness.