homeless

homeless — adjective

1. having no place to live; not having a house, apartment, or other shelter to slee

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having no place to live; not having a house, apartment, or other shelter to sleep in — for example, after losing your job, being forced to leave your home, or facing a natural disaster.

Example

Aoi and her two children became homeless after the landlord sold the apartment.

became homeless — describes a change of circumstance

The shelter provides hot meals and beds for up to fifty homeless people each night.

homeless people — adj + noun collocation for a person in that situation

Common collocations
  • become homeless
  • left homeless
  • homeless people
  • homeless family
  • homeless shelter
Synonyms
  • unhoused

    a newer term preferred by some advocacy groups; emphasises that the person has been denied housing rather than lacking a 'home' in a broader sense

  • houseless

    less common; focuses on the physical absence of a house rather than a 'home'

  • roofless

    British English; informal and less widely used

Antonyms
  • housed

    formal; having a place to live

Common Mistakes

The government should help a homeless.
The government should help homeless people.
'homeless' is an adjective, not a countable noun; use 'a homeless person' or 'homeless people' instead.

homeless — noun

Word family

  • home
    nounA1
  • homelessness
    nounB2
  • homely
    adjectiveB2
  • homelessly
    adverbC1
  • homewards
    adverbB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe someone without a place to live, but they differ in tone and usage. 'Homeless' is the standard, neutral term used in everyday speech, news reports, and government policy. 'Unhoused' has gained traction in journalism and advocacy circles since the 2010s; supporters argue it focuses attention on the lack of housing (a structural problem) rather than 'home' (which carries emotional associations). 'Houseless' is rarer and often signals a deliberate distinction between 'house' (physical structure) and 'home' (emotional space). 'Roofless' is informal and mainly British. In a news article, you would typically read 'the city's homeless population'; in a policy document from an advocacy group, you might see 'unhoused individuals'. A learner should stick with 'homeless' — it is understood everywhere and carries no unintended connotations.

homeless ↗unhousedhouselessroofless

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • become homeless
  • left homeless
  • make someone homeless
  • end homelessness

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'home' (Old English hām, meaning 'dwelling, village, or place of residence') plus the suffix '-less' (Old English -lēas, meaning 'without, lacking, free from'). The word has been used in English since the early 1600s to describe people without a fixed place to live. The noun form 'the homeless' referring to a social group became common in the late 20th century as homelessness was recognised as a widespread social issue.