unskilled
Americanadjective
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of or relating to workers who lack technical training or skill.
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not demanding special training or skill.
unskilled occupations.
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exhibiting a marked lack of skill or competence.
an unskilled painting; an unskilled writer.
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not skilled or expert.
He was unskilled in the art of rhetoric.
adjective
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not having or requiring any special skill or training
unskilled workers
an unskilled job
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having or displaying no skill; inexpert
he is quite unskilled at dancing
Etymology
Origin of unskilled
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wages of unskilled workers would drop and unemployment would rise, he told them.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
CareScout’s estimate for paid home care is based on 44 hours a week of unskilled care.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026
“If the population growth is negative or has depressed then there’s a labor force issue and many employers of unskilled workers are feeling the pinch.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026
Providing unskilled public work across all but fully urban districts, the scheme has become a backbone of rural livelihoods, cushioning demand during economic shocks.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025
Swift knew that these men would be hungry for unskilled jobs in the Yard.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
