Unemployed is an adjective describing someone who is without paid work or employment. It typically refers to a temporary or longer-term lack of a job, often used in economic or personal contexts. It carries a neutral to slightly formal tone and is common in discussions of labor markets, person status, and job-seeking situations.
"After graduating, she remained unemployed for several months while she searched for a field internship."
"The unemployment rate rose, leaving thousands of people unemployed across the region."
"He has been unemployed since the factory shut down last year, but he’s been volunteering in the community."
"The job fair attracted many unemployed professionals who were exploring new career paths."
Unemployed derives from the prefix un- meaning 'not' or 'opposite of', combined with the French word employed from employ(er) meaning 'to hire' or 'to use'. The term employed originates from Old French employer (to use, apply; to hire) and Latin em- (in) + ployare (to fold, to trap). In English, employed appeared in the 14th–15th centuries in the sense of being engaged in work or service. The modern sense of not having a job developed over time as labor markets and social welfare concepts expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries. The word’s usage became common in economic discourse by the mid-20th century, especially around unemployment statistics and labor policy debates.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Unemployed" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Unemployed" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Unemployed"
-yed sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˌənɪmˈplɔɪd/. Break it into syllables: ə-NIM-PLOYD with primary stress on the 'ployd' part. The initial schwa becomes a light vowel, then 'n' blends into 'ɪm', and the final 'ployed' starts with /plɔɪ/ followed by /d/. Lips round for /ɔɪ/ diphthong, tongue high-mid positioning, and final /d/ with a soft release. Think: uh-NIM-ployd. Audio references: you can compare to pronunciations on Pronounce or Forvo for regional nuance.
Common mistakes: misplacing the primary stress, saying '/ˌənɪmˈplɔːd/' with a long /ɔː/ instead of the diphthong /ɔɪ/ in 'ployed'; omitting the /l/ sound before /ɔɪ/ resulting in '/ənɪmˈpoɪd/'; or turning /plɔɪd/ into '/plɔːd/' without the 'oy' diphthong. Correction: keep the /ɔɪ/ diphthong in the second syllable, ensure the /l/ is clear before /ɔɪ/, and maintain the final /d/. Practice with minimal pairs: '-employed' vs 'unemployed' contrasts help keep the stress and vowel quality accurate.
US: /ˌənɪmˈplɔɪd/ with rhotic first syllable and a strong /ɔɪ/ diphthong. UK: /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ often less pronounced rhoticity in non-rhotic varieties; the /ɪ/ in the second syllable can be shorter. AU: /ˌənɪmˈplɔɪd/ similar to US, but vowel quality may be a bit fronter, with less rounded lip posture for /ɔɪ/. Across accents, the critical differences are vowel quality of /ɪ/ vs /ɪ/ in unstressed syllables and the treatment of the second vowel; the diphthong /ɔɪ/ generally remains, but its height and length can vary.
It challenges: the /ˌənɪm/ cluster where the unstressed schwa plus /n/ can be tricky to keep compact while transitioning into the /plɔɪd/ cluster; the /ɔɪ/ diphthong requires a precise tongue transition from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ or vice versa, and the final /d/ should not be devoiced in rapid speech. Slow practice with syllable tapping helps, especially coordinating the onset of /pl-/ with the /ɔɪ/ glide. Use IPA-focused drills and record yourself to compare.
A unique feature is the strong secondary stress? Actually, in 'unemployed' the primary stress sits on the second syllable '-plɔɪd', while the first is weaker. This shifting stress affects intonation and rhythm in connected speech. Ensure you sustain the /ɪ/ in the second syllable, and avoid a clipped /ɔɪ/ or a rushed /d/. Practicing in phrases like 'unemployed man' helps embed the rhythm.
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