unemployed

un- +‎ employed

• Rhymes: -ɔɪd

unemployed (not comparable)

1. Having no job despite being able and willing to work.
2. Having no use, not doing work
   • 2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC Sport‎:

     England's attacking impetus was limited to one shot from Lampard that was comfortably collected by keeper Iker Casillas, but for all Spain's domination of the ball his England counterpart Joe Hart was unemployed.

• See also Thesaurus:unemployed

• See also Thesaurus:unemployed

• unemployment

unemployed pl (plural only)

1. Unemployed people.

   The unemployed are a growing portion of the population.

• This is not a true noun. It is an example of a "fused-head" construction in which an adjective (or possessive or determiner) is assumed to have fused with an omitted noun which is grammatically required.

• jobless