Synonyms of waif

waif

noun

as in beggar

a young person who is thin and appears homeless or impoverished

the sad sight of waifs on the street

Related Words

• beggar
• tramp
• dependent
• urchin
• ragamuffin
• derelict
• guttersnipe
• indigent
• drifter
• down-and-out
• have-not
• miserable
• hobo
• bohemian
• gamine
• pauper
• vagabond
• parasite
• vagrant
• bum
• clochard
• sponge
• leech
• sponger
• cadger
• hanger-on
• deadbeat
• moocher
• mendicant
• panhandler
• bludger
• schnorrer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of waif

Everyone was chasing a waif look. — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026

More like a woman who had written a book and less like a lost waif. — Allegra Goodman, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2026

Even after so long, Camilla was still moved at the sight of her, so graceful and petite, with that thin, waif-like face. — Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

Cleverbot veers from sounding like a winsome waif to coming across as a drunk, smart-alecky fifteen-year-old who talks in non sequiturs. — Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Meanwhile, Bronte the bookstore waif is uncovering the human aquarium. — Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025

Diminutive Darcy Rose Byrnes makes for a terrific waif of a hotel maid, her presence central to the action. — Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025

The immortal embarrassment of Nosferatu The arduous, debilitating affair between melancholic 1830s waif Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and her vampire lover-enemy Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård, under tons of prosthetics) begins with deception. — Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025

Cohen makes the audience believe this former waif could indeed be the surviving Anastasia. — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024

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