Workless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Unable to engage in productive labor or employment; characterized by the absence of occupation or gainful activity
2. Lacking any form of employment or job responsibilities
3. Devoid of any means of earning a livelihood or performing tasks

Etymology: Workless is a plain compound: the noun "work" with the suffix "-less", meaning "without". The suffix descends from Old English "-lēas", which meant "free from" or "lacking" and could be attached to almost any noun, so English speakers have been building words like "careless" and "hopeless" from it for centuries. Its roots reach back to a Proto-Germanic form "*lausaz", meaning "loose" or "free of", the same root that gave English "loose" and "lose" in a related sense. Workless is therefore a transparent formation: a person or thing lacking work. Its meaning has stayed close to its parts, so the word needs little explanation beyond the suffix itself. The noun "work" traces back to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to do" or "to labor", so the word's core idea of doing something has remained stable through all its parts.

Synonyms: unemployed, idled

Antonyms: employed, working