unhoused

/ˌʌnˈhaʊzd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌnˈhaʊzd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ˈhau̇zd/ (ame, mw)

unhoused — 形容詞

  • unhousedpositive
  • more unhousedcomparative
  • most unhousedsuperlative

1. not having a home, apartment, or other place where you can live permanently — us

1.形容詞B2
釋義

無家可歸

沒有固定居住場所的

not having a home, apartment, or other place where you can live permanently — used in news reports and official contexts, often because it describes a circumstance (lack of housing) rather than labelling a person

例句

After losing her job, Sirin was unhoused for three months until she found a room.

失去工作後，Sirin 有長達三個月無家可歸，直到她找到一間房間。

be + unhoused + [duration]; describes a temporary circumstance

The city council voted to open a new shelter for unhoused residents.

市議會投票通過為無家可歸的居民開設一所新的收容所。

collocation: unhoused residents / unhoused people / unhoused families

同義詞
  • homeless

    more traditional and widely used term; some find it stigmatising because it defines a person by their housing status

  • unsheltered

    narrower meaning — implies sleeping outdoors or in a place not meant for habitation, rather than just lacking permanent housing

  • roofless

    rare and more literary; used mainly in British English and poetry

反義詞
  • housed

    direct opposite; describes someone who has a home to live in

  • sheltered

    implies having a roof or protection from the elements

文法句型

unhoused + noun

be + unhoused

用法筆記

Frequently used in news reports, government documents, and social-service contexts as an alternative to 'homeless'. Many advocates prefer 'unhoused' because it describes a lack of housing as a circumstance rather than defining a person's identity. The word is typically used before a noun (unhoused people, unhoused families) or after a linking verb (became unhoused, were left unhoused).

常見錯誤

❌The city built a shelter for the unhouseds.
✅The city built a shelter for unhoused people.
💡'Unhoused' is an adjective, not a noun; it cannot take a plural '-s'.
❌After the fire, our family was unhoused for a week.
✅After the fire, our family was displaced for a week.
💡'Unhoused' implies long-term lack of a permanent home, not temporary displacement after a disaster.