houseless

[ hous-lis ]

adjective

1. without a house or houses:

   My friend lived on the other side of the houseless plot of land.

2. being unhoused or lacking permanent housing; homeless:

   The church is holding a winter survival equipment drive to provide houseless folks with heavy duty winter coats, blankets, and sleeping bags.

Sensitive Note

See homeless ( def ).

Other Words From

• house·less·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of houseless¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; house + -less ( def )

Example Sentences

America’s homeless population ranges between 500,000 and 600,000 depending on who’s counting, with roughly two-thirds of houseless people sleeping in shelters.

From Salon

“A lot of people who talk about justice for him … would’ve walked right past him on the street when he was struggling, just as they’re doing to a lot of our houseless community members now.”

From Seattle Times

The message to the campus community “framed our houseless students as a group of people who are feared, clearly intimidating them to get them off campus,” the letter said.

From Los Angeles Times

The campus-wide email was “an attempt to shame, humiliate, and isolate the houseless community on campus,” the petition said.

From Los Angeles Times

America’s homeless population ranges between 500,000 and 600,000 depending on who’s counting, with roughly two-thirds of houseless people sleeping in shelters.

From Salon

Related Words

• homeless
• unhoused
• unsheltered