werkeloos

werkeloos

Dutch

Alternative forms

• werkloos

Etymology

From werk +‎ -e- +‎ -loos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɛr.kəˌloːs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wer‧ke‧loos

Adjective

werkeloos (not comparable)

1. having nothing to do, doing nothing; idle, workless

   werkeloos toezien — to watch idly (doing nothing to help)

2. workless, jobless, unemployed
   • 1770 August 6, “Groot - Brittanien”, Leydse Maandagſche Courant No. 94, page 1:

     Veele Scheeps - Timmerlieden , die werkeloos waren , zyn bereids in dienſt genoomen , ...

     Many ship carpenters who were unemployed have already been taken into service, ...

Usage notes

In recent years, some writers have started to make a distinction between the alternative forms werkloos and werkeloos, reserving the former for the sense “unemployed” and the latter for the sense “idle”. This distinction has no historical basis.[1]

Inflection

Inflection of werkeloos
uninflected	werkeloos
inflected	werkeloze
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		werkeloos
indefinite	m./f. sing.	werkeloze
	n. sing.	werkeloos
	plural	werkeloze
definite		werkeloze
partitive		werkeloos

Derived terms

• werkeloze (“idle person”)
• werkeloosheid (“idleness”)

References

1. “Werkloos / werkeloos”, in Taalloket ‎, Genootschap Onze Taal, May 2, 2017, retrieved November 3, 2019.