homeless
/'houmlisnis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Lacking a permanent place of residence; without a home: Describes a person, family, or group that does not have a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
- Deprived of security, stability, or a sense of belonging: Can describe a state of being physically or emotionally without a secure base.
- Stateless; without nationality or citizenship: Describes a person not recognized as a citizen by any country.
Noun (plural: the homeless):
- People who are without a home: Used with a definite article ("the") to refer collectively to homeless people as a group.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- The charity provides meals for homeless individuals.
- After the fire, the family was left homeless.
- The documentary highlighted the plight of homeless veterans.
Noun (the homeless):
- The city is increasing shelter capacity for the homeless.
- Volunteers distributed blankets to the homeless during the winter.
Advanced Usage
"chronically homeless": Refers to individuals who have been homeless for a long period, often a year or more, or who have experienced repeated episodes of homelessness.
- The new program targets support for the chronically homeless.
"homelessness" (noun): The state or condition of being homeless.
- The economic crisis led to a sharp rise in homelessness.
Variants and Related Words
- Homelessly (adverb): In a homeless manner.
- They wandered homelessly from town to town.
- Homeless shelter (noun phrase): A place providing temporary accommodation for homeless people.
- Stateless (adjective): A closely related term specifically meaning lacking citizenship, which can be a cause of homelessness.
Synonyms
- Destitute: Lacking the means of subsistence; impoverished.
- Displaced: Forced to leave one's home, typically because of war, persecution, or natural disaster.
- Itinerant: Traveling from place to place, often with no permanent home.
- Unhoused: An alternative term for lacking housing.
Related Phrases
- "Sleep rough": To sleep outdoors or in improvised shelters because one is homeless.
- Many who are homeless have to sleep rough in parks.
- "Street homeless": Refers to people sleeping in places not meant for human habitation (e.g., streets, doorways, parks), as opposed to those in shelters.
Idioms
- "To be out on the street": To be homeless or forced to leave one's home.
- If I lose my job, I'll be out on the street.
Adjective
- physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security
- made a living out of shepherding dispossed people from one country to another- James Stern
- without nationality or citizenship
- stateless persons
Noun
- poor people who unfortunately do not have a home to live in
- the homeless became a problem in the large cities
- someone unfortunate without housing
- a homeless was found murdered in Central Park