homelessness
Americannoun
-
lack of permanent housing, especially this condition generally as a matter of public concern.
The city partners with community groups to offer resources for youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
-
lack of a feeling of belonging; rootlessness or restlessness.
He writes about a feeling of homelessness after immigration, when he felt neither firmly bound to his native culture nor fully adapted to the new one.
Sensitive Note
See homeless ( def. ).
Etymology
Origin of homelessness
First recorded in 1810–20; homeless ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )
Explanation
Homelessness is a situation in which people don't have a place to live. A family experiencing homelessness might need to temporarily stay in a city shelter or with a relative. Homelessness is a state of being without a home. The word usually describes the circumstances of people who have fallen on hard times and don't have the money or ability to acquire a safe, stable place to live. Homelessness is a widespread problem across the U.S., with causes that include poverty, addiction, domestic violence, low wages, and lack of affordable housing.
Vocabulary lists containing homelessness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With the help of charity Streets2Homes, which works with people experiencing homelessness in Harlow, he managed to get briefly off the streets by mid-December.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The solicitation, prepared in response to a federal court ruling, seeks applicants to run the homelessness database and housing matching system, conduct the annual homeless count and submit the annual application for U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
She has previously opened up about experiencing homelessness in her early days as a comic, as well as the time she spent in foster care as a child.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Hart began to suspect Haddish was experiencing homelessness when he noticed that her car was filled with personal belongings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Prison spared Trina the uncertainty of homelessness but presented new dangers and challenges.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
