the unemployed

noun

: people who have no jobs
Many of the city's unemployed are former factory workers.

Examples of the unemployed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the Great Depression, layoffs were common and people correctly understood that the economy needed more jobs offered to the unemployed. Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025 And 45% of the unemployed in our survey have been out of work for more than two years. Mona Mourshed, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2025 Average weeks unemployed jumped to 24.1, the highest level since April 2022, while the level of those out of work for more than 27 weeks climbed to 1.82 million, the most since December 2021 and about one-quarter of all the unemployed. Jeff Cox, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025 The story turns on the unemployed Kenneth who spends all his time building models. Annika Pham, Variety, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for the unemployed

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The unemployed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20unemployed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!