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Showing results for unskilled. Search instead for unspilled.
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 skill 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.

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

H-2B visas allow unskilled workers like gardeners and housekeepers to work in the U.S. for 10 months, while the H-1B program lets skilled workers like software engineers remain for up to three years.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2024

The second way, Mr Sundar said, is by hiring young, unskilled workers, especially from rural areas, by attracting them with a good starting salary.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2024

Not long ago, young, unskilled men could find decent, well-paying jobs at large factories in most major Northern cities.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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.