Words / B1

JOBL-uh-s/ˈdʒɒbləs/

Jobless means without a paid job. The jobless can mean unemployed people as a group (the jobless total). Unemployed is the everyday twin; out of work is informal. Do not write jobless for a student who has never sought work. Plant closures: the jobless total rose.

Meaning

Without a paid job; the jobless means unemployed people as a group.

Examples

• “The jobless total rose after the plant shut.”
• “Jobless graduates still need National Insurance numbers for pay.”

Good to know

jobless + person / total. Group: the jobless. Everyday: unemployed. Informal: out of work. Labour-market news.

Near in meaning

unemployed

New