Etymologically
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unemployment

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 08:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from un- and employment.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state of being unused: 1887 in Etymonline, 1888 in the OED;[2][4] MWU has 1789.[5]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes that it was in common use from about 1895.[4] The number or proportion of people out of work, as unemployment is rising, follows.[6][7] As short for unemployment benefit, on unemployment, it is from 1976.[4]

Timeline

  • 1789 – first known use (MWU).[5]
  • 1887 – being out of work.[2]
  • 1976 – unemployment benefit.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state of being without a paid job.
  2. The number or percentage of people without work.
  3. (US, informal) Unemployment benefit.

Word family

  • antiunemployment
  • unemployment insurance
  • technological unemployment
  • unemployment benefit
  • structural unemployment
  • cyclical unemployment

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin