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
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
See All Example Sentences for unemployment
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show current usage.
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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
See All Example Sentences for unemployment
Cite this Entry
“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unemployment
noun
un·em·ploy·ment
ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt
: the state of being out of work
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