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
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.
But the current plan, which holds no real promise of Palestinian statehood, also contains no suggestion of granting the more than 2 million stateless Palestinians who live in the West Bank Israeli citizenship. Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025 Advertisement The Frank family was considered stateless according to the standards of the time. Time, 30 Sep. 2025 The Persons and Family Code law, making Burkina Faso the latest in a series of African countries to criminalize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activity, also tightens rules on nationality and stateless people. Reuters, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2025 Leaders among both stateless peoples intensified calls for opposing the Iranian government as Israel conducted an unprecedented series of strikes against the country over a dozen days last month. Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for stateless

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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 24 Nov. 2025.

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