1
as in inexperienced
lacking or showing a lack of expert skill
an unskilled handling of the facial features in the portrait explains why it is attributed to "school of Velázquez" and not to the master himself
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2
as in incompetent
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
hired unskilled workers because they would work for lower wages
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of unskilled
Yet the government has also struggled to create productive jobs for its large unskilled labor force.
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Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2024
The growing labor markets in major cities attracted rural folk, as there was a rise in demand for unskilled laborers.
—Jacob Swartz, Orange County Register, 14 May 2024
That’s below India’s minimum wage for unskilled labor, despite a government promise in 2016 to double farmers’ income by 2022.
—Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024
Some Americans fear that an influx of unskilled laborers means lower wages for unskilled laborers.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unskilled 
Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 June 2024
The growing labor markets in major cities attracted rural folk, as there was a rise in demand for unskilled laborers.
—Jacob Swartz, Orange County Register, 14 May 2024
That’s below India’s minimum wage for unskilled labor, despite a government promise in 2016 to double farmers’ income by 2022.
—Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024
Some Americans fear that an influx of unskilled laborers means lower wages for unskilled laborers.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unskilled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unskilled
Adjective
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Lindsey, the initial lead prosecutor on the Morphew case, testified against Stanley during a two-week disciplinary hearing in June, portraying her as an incompetent and disengaged leader.Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 4 Nov. 2024
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In this light The Favourite, a satire about an incompetent female ruler, is greeted very differently.Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Never forget that this connects directly to the central reason Trump is unfit to be president.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
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In my view, Trump is grossly unfit to be president, in both mind and character — especially the latter.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Ludwig Kaiser Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser are incapable of having a bad match.Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
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Andrew Garfield is incapable of giving a meaningless expression.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unskilled
Cite this Entry
“Unskilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unskilled. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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