Synonyms of unemployed
78 similar words · 3 opposite words
Another word for unemployed is old-fashioned. Other synonyms of unemployed are elderly, passive, defunct, idle and inert. The opposite of unemployed is working.
Synonyms and similar words for unemployed
adjectiveHaving no job despite being able and willing to work.
adjectiveHaving no use, not doing work.
- disusedNo longer in use.
- idleNot being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
- abeyantBeing in a state of abeyance; suspended.
- at rest
- dormant
- dullHeavy; lifeless; inert.
- fallow figuratively
- hibernating
- inactive
- inertUnable to move or act; inanimate.
- languidOf a thing: lacking energy, liveliness, or strength; inactive, slow-moving, weak.
- latentRemaining in an inactive or hidden phase; dormant.
- nonactiveNot active; inactive; inert.
- passiveTaking no action.
- quiescentInactive, quiet, at rest.
- silent
- slow
- standing by
- suspended
- torpidDormant or hibernating.
- unactiveNot active; inactive.
- unbusyNot busy.
- unoccupiedNot employed on a task; idle.
- anachronisticErroneous in date; containing an anachronism; in a wrong time; not applicable to or not appropriate for the time.
- antediluvianOf attitudes, ideas, etc.: extremely old-fashioned, especially to a laughable extent; antiquated.
- antiquatedOld-fashioned, out of date.
- antique
- archaic
- backwardLacking progressive or enlightened thought; outdated.
- backwardsSynonym of backward; see usage notes there.
- behind the timesOut of date; old-fashioned; obsolete; outmoded; outdated.
- cobwebbed figuratively
- cobwebby figuratively
- dated
- defunctNo longer in use or active, nor expected to be again.
- desueteDisused; out of use.
- discontinued
- dootsie UK, dialectal
- elderlyOf an object, being old-fashioned or frail due to aging.
- extinctOf customs, ideas, laws and legal rights, offices, organizations, languages, etc.: no longer existing or in use...
- expired
- fossilized
- HavishamesqueStuck in the past; also, refusing to accept change or failure.
- hoary figurativelyOld or old-fashioned; trite.
- Miss HavishamesqueSynonym of Havishamesque.
- mouldy figurativelyShowing signs of neglect; disused.
- obsolete
- old
- oldfangledOld-fashioned.
- old-fashionedOf an object, outdated or no longer in vogue.
- old schoolNow often old-school: characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was...
- outdated
- outmodedObsolete.
- out of date
- out of fashionUnfashionable, not in fashion.
- outworn
- parachronisticBelonging to an earlier time; too old to be used; primitive; out of date.
- passé
- primitiveCrude, obsolete.
- superannuatedObsolete, antiquated.
- superseded
- venerableAncient, antiquated or archaic.
- cessant obsoleteDormant, inactive.
- sedent archaicSitting; inactive or still.
- sedentary obsolete
- antediluvial rareAntiquated.
adjectiveMore synonyms
- between jobs euphemisticUnemployed.
- employmentally challenged euphemisticUnemployed; jobless.
- nonemployedNot employed; unemployed.
- occupationlessHaving no occupation; jobless; idle.
- on the wallaby Australia, slangSynonym of on the wallaby track.
- on the wallaby track Australia, slangOut of work; unemployed.
- out of a jobHaving lost one's job; unemployed.
- out of work
- resting euphemisticUnemployed; out of work.
- unbusiedNot required to work; unemployed; not busy.
Opposite of unemployed
adjectiveHaving no use, not doing work.
Meaning of unemployed
- adjective Having no job despite being able and willing to work.
- adjective Having no use, not doing work.
- noun The unemployed people of a society or the world, taken collectively.
unemployed in other languages
Questions about synonyms of unemployed
- What is another word for unemployed?
- Unemployed has 78 synonyms on Word.ws, such as old-fashioned, elderly, passive, defunct, idle, inert, latent and quiescent.
- What is the opposite of unemployed?
- The opposite of unemployed is working.
- What does unemployed mean?
- Unemployed means having no job despite being able and willing to work.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: unemployed (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of unemployed.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/unemployed. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.