homelessness

/ˈhəʊmləsnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhəʊmləsnəs/ (ame, ipa)

homelessness — noun

1. the situation in which a person has no permanent place to live and must sleep ou

1.名詞C2
釋義

the situation in which a person has no permanent place to live and must sleep outdoors or in temporary shelters run by the government or charities

例句

The charity gives hot meals and blankets to families facing homelessness in the city.

collocation: facing homelessness

After losing her job, Aiko spent the winter in a shelter for people without homes.

collocation: shelter for people without homes

同義詞
  • vagrancy

    vagrancy focuses on moving from place to place with no fixed address and often carries a legal or criminal connotation; homelessness is broader and includes people in shelters

  • displacement

    displacement is caused by war, natural disaster, or development and can be temporary; homelessness implies a longer-term lack of housing

  • destitution

    destitution emphasizes extreme poverty and lack of basic resources, which often leads to homelessness but is not the same condition

反義詞
  • housing

    housing refers to having a permanent place to live, the direct opposite of homelessness

  • shelter

    shelter means having a roof and protection from the elements, which a homeless person lacks

用法筆記

Homelessness is an uncountable noun and is not used with 'a' or in the plural. In formal writing, 'people experiencing homelessness' is often preferred over 'the homeless' to emphasize person-first language.

常見錯誤

❌The government needs to help the homelessness.
✅The government needs to help people experiencing homelessness.
💡'homelessness' is the condition itself, not the people who have it.
❌There are many homelessnesses in the city.
✅There is a lot of homelessness in the city.
💡'homelessness' is uncountable and cannot be pluralized.