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.
After all, people struggle with addiction and mental health in lots of cities, but those places don’t have the high rates of homelessness as Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
“There’s only so much a sitting mayor can do,” said Elizabeth Mitchell, an attorney representing a group of mostly business and property owners in a landmark homelessness case against the city.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Prince William has a project to tackle homelessness, Homewards, and there are plans for the duchy to provide an extra 12,000 homes by 2040.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Miller, through his nonprofit Better Angels, spent years working on the Eastside to address the homelessness crisis.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
She knew the feeling of being faced with homelessness.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
