vagrant

[ vey-gruhnt ]

noun

1. a person who wanders about idly and has no permanent home or employment; vagabond; tramp.
2. Law. an idle person without visible means of support, as a tramp or beggar.
3. a person who wanders from place to place; wanderer; rover.
4. wandering idly without a permanent home or employment; living in vagabondage:

   vagrant beggars.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a vagrant:

   the vagrant life.

2. wandering or roaming from place to place; nomadic.
3. (of plants) straggling in growth.
4. not fixed or settled, especially in course; moving hither and thither:

   a vagrant leaf blown by the wind.

vagrant

/ ˈveɪɡrənt /

noun

1. a person of no settled abode, income, or job; tramp
2. a migratory animal that is off course

adjective

1. wandering about; nomadic
2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a vagrant or vagabond
3. moving in an erratic fashion, without aim or purpose; wayward
4. (of plants) showing uncontrolled or straggling growth

Derived Forms

• ˈvagrantness, noun
• ˈvagrantly, adverb

Other Words From

• vagrant·ly adverb
• vagrant·ness noun
• non·vagrant adjective
• non·vagrant·ly adverb
• non·vagrant·ness noun
• un·vagrant adjective
• un·vagrant·ly adverb
• un·vagrant·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vagrant¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English vagaraunt, apparently present participle of unattested Anglo-French vagrer, perhaps from unattested Middle English vagren, blend of vagen (from Latin vagārī “to wander”) and unattested walcren (becoming Old French wa(u)crer ), equivalent to walc- ( walk ) + -r- frequentative suffix + -en infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of vagrant¹

C15: probably from Old French waucrant (from wancrer to roam, of Germanic origin), but also influenced by Old French vagant vagabond, from Latin vagārī to wander

Synonym Study

Vagrant, vagabond describe an idle, disreputable person who lacks a fixed abode. Vagrant suggests a tramp, a person with no settled abode or livelihood, an idle and disorderly person: picked up by police as a vagrant. Vagabond especially emphasizes the idea of worthless living, often by trickery, thieving, or other disreputable means: Actors were once classed with rogues and vagabonds.

Example Sentences

He plays Tom T. Shiftlet, a one-armed vagrant who talks a woman into taking him on as her handyman, then marries her mute, deaf daughter, Lucynell.

From New York Times

But now, it had shuttered all but the main tavern hall and several rooms for solitary vagrants.

From Literature

But from the arguments, it’s not clear the court will say Grants Pass went too far and violated the “vagrants’ ” constitutional rights.

From Seattle Times

A podcast by the right-wing Cicero Institute suggested that instead of calling people “homeless,” we revert to words like “vagrants,” “bums” and “tramps.”

From Los Angeles Times

He’s a vagrant by definition — a man with no job, no paper trail or online presence.

From Salon

Related Words

• transient