unemployed
/ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-im-ˈplȯid/ (ame, mw) · /ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪd/ (ame, ipa)
unemployed — adjective
- unemployedpositive
- more unemployedcomparative
- most unemployedsuperlative
1. describes a person who has no paid work and would like to have a job
describes a person who has no paid work and would like to have a job
After the factory closed, Ayana was unemployed for nearly a year.
unemployed for [duration]
The government offers free training courses to unemployed workers who want to change careers.
unemployed + noun (attributive use)
Hoa became unemployed when the small shop she worked for shut down.
Being unemployed for a long time often makes people feel worried about their future.
The number of unemployed people in the region has dropped by fifteen percent this year.
- jobless
slightly more informal; common in news headlines
- out of work
neutral phrase, interchangeable with 'unemployed'
- laid off
specifically means the employer ended the job due to business reasons, not performance
- redundant
UK English term for being laid off from a job that no longer exists
文法句型
be/become unemployed
unemployed + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used as a complement after be / become / remain, or placed directly before a noun (unemployed graduates, unemployed youth). Do NOT use it as a count noun for an individual — 'an unemployed' is incorrect.
常見錯誤
unemployed — noun
1. all the people who are without paid work and are available to start a job
all the people who are without paid work and are available to start a job
The government has announced new programs to help the unemployed find work.
help the unemployed
The unemployed often struggle to pay rent while they look for a new job.
the unemployed as sentence subject
Training centres have been opened across the city for the unemployed.
The number of the unemployed in that state rose by eight thousand last month.
- jobless people
more informal but means the same group
- out-of-work individuals
more formal; used in official documents
- the employed
the group of people with paid jobs
文法句型
the unemployed + plural verb
用法筆記
Always takes the definite article 'the' and a plural verb. Refers to the group as a whole, not an individual. For a single person, use 'an unemployed person' or simply say the person 'is unemployed'.