1
: having no state
2
: lacking the status of a national
a stateless refugee
statelessness noun

statelessness

2 of 2

noun

state·​less·​ness
plural -es
: the quality or state of being stateless : the condition of being without citizenship in any country
methods by which statelessness may be eliminated—advertisement

Examples of stateless in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
In 2019, a stateless Chaldean metro Detroiter deported to Iraq died in Baghdad after becoming homeless and struggling to obtain insulin for his diabetes. — Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 7 May 2026 Most existing platforms treat them as stateless functions that respond to a prompt and vanish. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2026 And some babies would be stateless, meaning no country would claim them. — Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026 Some of the children born in the United States would become stateless – meaning no country would claim them − and may have no pathway to citizenship, even if their parents do. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stateless

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stateless was in 1858

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Cite this Entry

“Stateless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stateless. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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