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Showing results for unskilled. Search instead for unspelled.
Synonyms

unskilled

American  
[uhn-skild] / ʌnˈskɪld /

adjective

  1. of or relating to workers who lack technical training or skill.

  2. not demanding special training or skill.

    unskilled occupations.

  3. exhibiting a marked lack of skill or competence.

    an unskilled painting; an unskilled writer.

  4. not skilled or expert.

    He was unskilled in the art of rhetoric.


unskilled British  
/ ʌnˈskɪld /

adjective

  1. not having or requiring any special skill or training

    unskilled workers

    an unskilled job

  2. having or displaying no skill; inexpert

    he is quite unskilled at dancing

"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

Etymology

Origin of unskilled

First recorded in 1575–85; un- 1 + skilled

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.

See Examples For:

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

So many unskilled Americans descended on the U.S.S.R. that by 1938 the Soviets started requiring U.S. visitors to show proof of return travel.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 26, 2026

Mr Sundar said firms also hire young, unskilled workers, especially from rural areas, by attracting them with a good starting salary.

From BBC Sep. 19, 2024

The stone dust that powdered him seemed a badge of slavery, and the two bloodstained rags about fingers of his left hand proclaimed the unskilled depths to which he had fallen.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

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