Meaning & use
semiskilled
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Having some training or experience but not the full expertise of a skilled trade.
Grammar: Describes a job or worker; it does not usually take -er/-est.
Patterns
- semiskilled worker
- semiskilled job
- semiskilled labor
The factory hires semiskilled workers who can operate the machines after a short training course.
Many semiskilled jobs in construction require a certificate but not a full apprenticeship.
She moved from a semiskilled position to a skilled one after several years of experience.
Common combinations
- semiskilled worker
- The company relies on semiskilled workers for assembly-line tasks.
- semiskilled labor
- The region has a large supply of semiskilled labor.
- semiskilled job
- He found a semiskilled job in a warehouse.
- semiskilled position
- She applied for a semiskilled position in the packaging department.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unskilled
- Use unskilled for jobs that need no special training at all; semiskilled suggests some training is required.
- skilled
- Skilled means having advanced training or expertise; semiskilled is a middle level between unskilled and skilled.
Opposites
Word family
Practice
Which sentence uses 'semiskilled' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Semiskilled describes work that needs some but not extensive training, so 'brief training' fits. A surgeon or a PhD-level job is highly skilled, not semiskilled.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “semiskilled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.