unsheltered

American  

[uhn-shel-terd] / ʌnˈʃɛl tərd /

adjective

1. not protected or shielded, as from storms or missiles, by a wall, roof, barrier, dense vegetative cover, or the like: The beach is unsheltered from northern winds and gets big waves in late summer.

   Eastside residents now face a steep climb uphill to an unsheltered bus stop if they want to use public transportation.

   The beach is unsheltered from northern winds and gets big waves in late summer.

2. being without a house or lacking permanent housing; houseless; homeless.

   Veterans experiencing homelessness were more likely to be classified as unsheltered—living in cars, public parks, or under highway overpasses.

---

Sensitive Note

See homeless ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of unsheltered

First recorded in 1590–1600; un- ¹ ( def. ) + sheltered ( def. )

Example Sentences

The study found that roughly one-third of unsheltered respondents had experienced a sweep in the month before they were surveyed, and nearly half had been displaced.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Mahan said San José has made “measurable progress” on the issues that voters raise with him at the grocery store: “crime, the high cost of living, unsheltered homelessness, untreated addiction.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

The number of unsheltered homeless people in the city dropped by an even steeper margin of 7.9%.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025

The latest data from the Community Partnership, an organisation that works to reduce homelessness, shows about 800 people are unsheltered, while about 4,300 others have some sort of temporary housing.

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2025

I yell, for we are lying unsheltered in the open field.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque