Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Homeless: Describes a person, family, or group that lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • Without a home: A literal translation indicating the state of having no dwelling place.

2. Noun:

   • Homeless person/people: Used to refer to individuals who are experiencing homelessness.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Hàng trăm người đã trở thành vô gia cư sau trận động đất. (Hundreds of people became homeless after the earthquake.)
  • Vấn đề vô gia cư đang gia tăng ở các thành phố lớn. (The homeless problem is increasing in major cities.)

• Noun:

  • Tổ chức từ thiện này cung cấp bữa ăn cho người vô gia cư. (This charity provides meals for the homeless.)
  • Chúng ta cần có chính sách hỗ trợ những người vô gia cư. (We need policies to support homeless people.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in formal, social, and journalistic contexts to discuss social issues, policies, and humanitarian aid.
• It can be part of compound nouns where it functions adjectivally, such as "trẻ em vô gia cư" (homeless children), "cộng đồng vô gia cư" (the homeless community).

Variants and Related Words

• Vô gia cư học đường (n): Refers to homeless students or the issue of student homelessness.

  • Chương trình hỗ trợ cho học sinh vô gia cư học đường. (A support program for homeless students.)

• Tình trạng vô gia cư (n): The state or condition of homelessness.

  • Tình trạng vô gia cư cần được giải quyết một cách nhân đạo. (The state of homelessness needs to be addressed humanely.)

Synonyms

• Homeless: The direct and most accurate synonym.
• Without a home: A descriptive synonym.
• Displaced: May be used in contexts of being forced from one's home, though it is not an exact synonym.
• Unhoused: A more formal synonym increasingly used in policy discussions.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Sống vô gia cư: To live homelessly; to be living without a home.

  • Họ đã phải sống vô gia cư suốt nhiều tháng. (They had to live homelessly for many months.)

• Đầu đường xó chợ: A Vietnamese idiom describing a state of extreme poverty and instability, often associated with having no proper home, though it is more vivid and broader than "vô gia cư."

  • Sau khi mất việc, anh ấy suýt phải sống cảnh đầu đường xó chợ. (After losing his job, he almost had to live a life of destitution on the streets.)