joblessness

J8O1B3L1E1S1S1N1E1S1S1

noun

The state of being jobless or unemployed.

Similar
unemploymentworklessnessunwork
OriginEnglish jobless ← Proto-Germanic *lausaz ← Proto-Indo-European *lewHs- →
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounjoblessness (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe state of being jobless or unemployed.
  2. uncountableThe phenomenon or level of unemployment in an economy.

    Even if it were working perfectly, the stimulus would not come close to stemming the cascade of joblessness unleashed by this megarecession.

    2009 July 11, Bob Herbert, “The Human Equation”, in The New York Times

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
unemploymentworklessnessunwork
Also see
unemploymentworklessness

Origin

  1. Englishjob
  2. Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
  4. Proto-Germanic*leusaną
  5. Proto-Germanic*lausaz
  6. Englishjobless
  7. Englishjoblessness

From jobless + -ness.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish työttömyys
  • työttömyysunemployment
German Arbeitslosigkeit
  • Arbeitslosigkeitunemployment
Italian disoccupazione
  • disoccupazioneunemployment
Polish bezrobocie
  • bezrobocieunemployment
Cite this entry
APA

joblessness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joblessness

MLA

“joblessness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joblessness. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “joblessness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joblessness.

Source: joblessness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.