unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 

1

: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers

also : the rate of such unemployment

2

: unemployment compensation

Examples of unemployment in a Sentence

My unemployment lasted about six months.

Unemployment has been increasing for months.

The current unemployment rate is six percent.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jobs The job market, clinging to a 4.2% unemployment rate, feels the tariff squeeze. —Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

Unfortunately, the longer governments and the Fed alternated stepping on the economic gas and brake pedals, in this Keynesian way, the worse the tradeoff between inflation and unemployment apparently got. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2025

Here's a day-by-day look at what happened in the past week: Friday, April 4: Jobs report shows the country added 228,000 jobs and unemployment ticked up to 4.2%. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025

New data from the University of Michigan shows consumer confidence sinking to its lowest level since the depths of the pandemic, with more people expecting unemployment to rise. —Anne Marie Drummond Lee, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing unemployment

• anti-unemployment
• unemployment compensation
• unemployment insurance

Rhymes for unemployment

• preemployment
• redeployment
• reemployment
• deployment
• employment
• enjoyment
• underemployment

Kids Definition

unemployment

noun

un·​em·​ploy·​ment ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 

: the state of being out of work