Etymologically
Log in

unemployed

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/[1]

Etymology

It is from English un- + employed, un- meaning not, with the past participle of employ.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of merchandise and the like, not put to use or applied to a purpose: the early 15th century (unemploied) in Etymonline;[2] the OED's first quotation is from 1600.[4]

Semantic evolution

Of people, not engaged in work, temporarily out of work, it is from the 1660s.[2][4] The noun, unemployed persons collectively, is from 1782.[2][4] There seems never to have been a verb unemploy, though disemploy was used from the 1610s.[2]

Timeline

  • early 15th century – not put to use.[2]
  • 1667 – out of work.[4]
  • 1782 – the unemployed.[4][2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Without paid work; jobless, out of work.
  2. Not in use; idle.

Noun

  1. The unemployed: people without paid work.

Word family

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press