homeless

H4O1M3E1L1E1S1S1
US/ˈhoʊmlɪs/US/ˈhoʊmləs/

adjective

Lacking a permanent place of residence.

“Whenever I pass the park, I see the homeless people sleeping on the benches.”

CommonScrabble 13

Meanings

adjectivehomeless (not comparable)
  1. not comparableLacking a permanent place of residence.

    Whenever I pass the park, I see the homeless people sleeping on the benches.

    3 more examples

    Xinyang special region received 1,200-1,400 mm of rain between June and August 1956: 280,000 homes were destroyed and 3.2 million peasants (out of a total of almost 6 million) were left homeless. In the most affected county in the special region and the province, Huaibin, 60 percent of the total surface area was covered by floods and 230,000 out of 440,000 inhabitants left homeless; grain production fell by 66 percent in 1956 and the authorities had to send large amounts of relief.

    Aux origines du Grand Bond en avant

    1995 [1982], Jean-Luc Domenach, “The First Leftist Excesses and Their Consequences (Summer 1955-Winter 1956)”, in A M Berrett, transl., The Origins of the Great Leap Forward: The Case of One Chinese Province [Aux origines du Grand Bond en avant], Westview Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 44

    You know what you never see? A really good-looking homeless couple.

    2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 55

    The massive arches of the retaining walls have become tent city for the many homeless people in the area.

    2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57
  2. not comparableContaining no place that might be called home.

    But I should turn mine ears and hear The moanings of the homeless sea, ⁠The sound of streams that swift or slow ⁠Draw down Æonian hills, and sow The dust of continents to be; […]

    1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 54
nounhomeless (plural homelesses)

plural homelesses

  1. nonstandardoffensivepossiblyA person who is homeless.

    Oszlár Kálmán András, Yoga in the Bed: Tantric Continence & Spiritual Intimacy […] the jobseekers and homelesses or even the future prime minister, all of us are involved in formation of the new world.

    1 more example

    […] homelesses' due process rights and infringed upon the homelesses' fundamental right to travel […]

    1997, Martin Lyle Forst, The Police and the Homeless: Creating a Partnership Between Law Enforcement and Social Service Agencies in the Development of Effective Policies and Programs, page 54

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivewithout nationality or citizenship

adjectivephysically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security

nounsomeone unfortunate without housing

Similar
homeless person
Broader
unfortunateunfortunate person

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱey-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóymos
  3. Proto-Indo-European*teḱ-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*tḱéytibf.
  5. Proto-Indo-European*tḱey-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*tḱóymos
  7. Proto-Germanic*haimaz
  8. Proto-West Germanic*haim
  9. Old Englishhām
  10. Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
  12. Proto-Germanic*leusaną
  13. Proto-Germanic*lausaz
  14. Old Englishhāmlēas
  15. Middle English*homles
  16. Englishhomeless

From Middle English *homles, *hamles, from Old English hāmlēas (“homeless”), equivalent to home + -less. Cognate with Dutch heemloos, Danish hjemløs (“homeless”), Swedish hemlös (“homeless”). Compare also German heimatlos (“homeless”), Icelandic heimilislaus (“homeless”), West Frisian dakleas (“homeless”, literally “having no roof, roofless”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἄνοικος, ἄστεγος
  • ἄνοικος (ánoikos)lacking a permanent residence
  • ἄστεγος (ástegos)lacking a permanent residence
  • ἄχωρος (ákhōros)lacking a permanent residence
Arabic مُتَشَرِّد
  • مُتَشَرِّد (mutašarrid)lacking a permanent residence
Basque etxegabe
  • etxegabelacking a permanent residence
Catalan sensellar, sensesostre
  • sensellarlacking a permanent residence
  • sensesostrelacking a permanent residence
Chinese Mandarin 無家可歸 /无家可归, 露宿街頭 /露宿街头
  • 無家可歸 /无家可归 (wújiākěguī)lacking a permanent residence
  • 露宿街頭 /露宿街头 (lùsù jiētóu)lacking a permanent residence
Czech nebydlící, bez přístřeší
  • nebydlícílacking a permanent residence
  • bez přístřešílacking a permanent residence
  • bez domovalacking a permanent residence
  • bezprizornýlacking a permanent residence
  • bezdomoveclacking a permanent residence
Danish hjemløs, husvild
  • hjemløslacking a permanent residence
  • husvildlacking a permanent residence
  • boligløslacking a permanent residence
Dutch dakloos
  • daklooslacking a permanent residence
Esperanto senhejma
  • senhejmalacking a permanent residence
Estonian kodutu
  • kodutulacking a permanent residence
Finnish koditon, asunnoton
  • koditonlacking a permanent residence
  • asunnotonlacking a permanent residence
French SDF (sans domicile fixe), itinérant
  • SDF (sans domicile fixe)lacking a permanent residence
  • itinérantlacking a permanent residence
  • sans-abrilacking a permanent residence
German obdachlos, wohnungslos
  • obdachloslacking a permanent residence
  • wohnungsloslacking a permanent residence
  • ObdachloserTranslations
Greek άστεγος
  • άστεγος (ástegos)lacking a permanent residence
Hebrew חֲסַר בַּיִת, הוֹמְלֶס
  • חֲסַר בַּיִת (khasár báyit)lacking a permanent residence
  • הוֹמְלֶס (hómles)lacking a permanent residence
Hindi बेघर, निराश्रित
  • बेघर (beghar)lacking a permanent residence
  • निराश्रित (nirāśrit)lacking a permanent residence
Hungarian hajléktalan
  • hajléktalanlacking a permanent residence
Icelandic heimilislaus
  • heimilislauslacking a permanent residence
Indonesian tuna wisma
  • tuna wismalacking a permanent residence
Irish gan dídean
  • gan dídeanlacking a permanent residence
Italian senzatetto
  • senzatettolacking a permanent residence
Japanese 家なき, 無宿の
  • 家なき (ie naki)lacking a permanent residence
  • 無宿の (mushuku no)lacking a permanent residence
  • ホームレス (hōmuresu)lacking a permanent residence
Latin palabundus
  • palabunduslacking a permanent residence
Malay gelandangan, tuna wisma
  • gelandanganlacking a permanent residence
  • tuna wismalacking a permanent residence
Māori kāinga kore, kāingakore
  • kāinga korelacking a permanent residence
  • kāingakorelacking a permanent residence
Norwegian Bokmål hjemløs, husløs
  • hjemløslacking a permanent residence
  • husløslacking a permanent residence
Persian بیخانمان
  • بیخانمان (bi-xânemân)lacking a permanent residence
Polish bezdomny
  • bezdomnylacking a permanent residence
Portuguese sem-teto, sem-abrigo
  • sem-tetolacking a permanent residence
  • sem-abrigolacking a permanent residence
  • desabrigadolacking a permanent residence
  • only as a noun: morador de rualacking a permanent residence
Romanian fără casă, fără adăpost
  • fără casălacking a permanent residence
  • fără adăpostlacking a permanent residence
  • vagabondlacking a permanent residence
Russian бездо́мный, бомж
  • бездо́мный (bezdómnyj)lacking a permanent residence
  • бомж (bomž)lacking a permanent residence
  • беспризо́рный (besprizórnyj)lacking a permanent residence
Spanish sin hogar, vagabundo
  • sin hogarlacking a permanent residence
  • vagabundolacking a permanent residence
  • desalojadolacking a permanent residence
  • sintecholacking a permanent residence
  • sin techolacking a permanent residence
  • en situación de callelacking a permanent residence
  • guitónlacking a permanent residence
  • sinhogarlacking a permanent residence
  • linyeraTranslations
  • homelessTranslations
  • sin techoTranslations
  • vagabundoTranslations
  • guitónTranslations
  • juntapuchos (despective)Translations
  • sintechoTranslations
  • sin hogarTranslations
  • sinhogarTranslations
Swedish hemlös
  • hemlöslacking a permanent residence
Thai ไร้บ้าน, เร่ร่อน
  • ไร้บ้านlacking a permanent residence
  • เร่ร่อนlacking a permanent residence
  • ร่อนเร่lacking a permanent residence
  • พเนจร (pá-nee-jɔɔn)lacking a permanent residence
  • จรจัด (jɔɔn-jàt)lacking a permanent residence
  • คนไร้บ้าน (kōn-rái-bâan)Translations
Turkish evsiz, vatansız
  • evsizlacking a permanent residence
  • vatansızlacking a permanent residence
  • evsiz barksızlacking a permanent residence
Ukrainian бездо́мний, безприту́льний
  • бездо́мний (bezdómnyj)lacking a permanent residence
  • безприту́льний (bezprytúlʹnyj)lacking a permanent residence
Urdu بے گَھر
  • بے گَھر (be-ghar)lacking a permanent residence
Vietnamese vô gia cư, không cửa không nhà
  • vô gia cưlacking a permanent residence
  • không cửa không nhàlacking a permanent residence
Cite this entry
APA

homeless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homeless

MLA

“homeless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homeless. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “homeless,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homeless.

Source: homeless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.