stateless

1 of 2

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

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
And some babies would be stateless, meaning no country would claim them. — Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026 Most existing platforms treat them as stateless functions that respond to a prompt and vanish. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 16 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 If the new registration is fraudulent or the registry doesn’t actually exist, the vessel effectively becomes stateless. — Charles Edward Gehrke, Fortune, 11 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

Rhymes for stateless

See All Rhymes for stateless

Browse Nearby Words

stateism
stateless
statelessness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stateless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stateless. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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