Synonyms

jobless

American

[job-lis] / ˈdʒɒb lɪs /

adjective

without a job.
noting or pertaining to people without jobs, especially to those who are seeking employment.

noun

(used with a plural verb)

unemployed people collectively, especially those who are seeking a job.

ˈjobless British

/ ˈdʒɒblɪs /

adjective

1. unemployed
2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )
  
  the jobless

"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

Other Word Forms

joblessness noun

Etymology

Origin of jobless

First recorded in 1800–10; job ¹ + -less

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.

Ahead of Friday’s key data, ADP private payrolls figures for February will be released Wednesday, followed by weekly jobless claims Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal

The jobless rate reached its highest level in nearly five years in the final quarter of 2025, according to data published last week.

From The Wall Street Journal

Weekly jobless claims also remained near an exceedingly low level of 212,000 for the seven days that ended last Saturday.

From MarketWatch

The latest weekly report on jobless claims bears out this trend.

From MarketWatch

Weekly jobless claims data are due later Thursday on a day otherwise light in U.S. data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023