stateless

adjective

state·​less ˈstāt-ləs How to pronounce stateless (audio)
1
: having no state
2
: lacking the status of a national
a stateless refugee
statelessness noun

Examples of stateless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The territory’s four million or so people are effectively stateless. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 In the decades since, the agency has taken on many functions of a state for stateless Palestinians, such as providing food, health care and schools. Joyce Sohyun Lee, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 The organization has advocated for federal legislation that would offer stateless people more protection and a clearer path to citizenship. Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024 The only time the 1961 Convention rules comes into play is on the rare occasion when the child would otherwise be stateless; in that case, the airline’s country of origin will determine the passport. Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Jan. 2024 Nor is the region disintegrating because the Palestinians remain stateless. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 19 Jan. 2024 The Australian government had assumed that these former refugees and stateless people were necessarily a threat to the community and could not or should not be fully reintegrated, Mr. Bradley said. Natasha Frost, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023 The decision to cancel his visa leaves him effectively stateless, and in limbo, like the others. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023 Traveling on stateless refugee passports, the couple arrived, penniless, in Zurich. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stateless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stateless was in 1858

Dictionary Entries Near stateless

Cite this Entry

“Stateless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stateless. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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