ownerless
1
5.6
Something that does not belong to anyone, like a stray cat or a lost bike
- adjective
- /ˈoʊnərləs/
:
sin dueño
- In the park, we found an ownerless dog wandering around, looking for help.
Examples
-
The essence of the common heritage doctrine is that wild species are considered "ownerless, open-access resources."
Academic text (1997) -
Safety in healthcare organizations is often an ownerless process, with responsibility falling under a myriad of departments that individually are coordinating initiatives to improve aspects of safety.
Academic text (2003) -
The streets were filled with ownerless bicycles that anyone could ride.
-
After the storm, several ownerless boats drifted along the shoreline.
Synonyms
masterless
vsownerless
1
8.4
Not owned or controlled by anyone, for example a dog living on the street
means lack of legal holding, not necessarily absence of leadership
unpossessed
vsownerless
8.3
Free from ownership, control or influence
means lack of legal holding rather than freedom from control
Antonyms
How Possessive
ownership
187
2.5
187
2.5
private property
68
2.8
68
2.8
part-owner
11
3.5
11
3.5
renunciation
2
8.2
- Formal
2
8.2
nonpossession
- Formal
ownerless
1
5.6
1
5.6
Surface Forms
ownerless positive
Morphology
Etymology
Ownerless is made of owner and less, where less means 'without', as in careless. So ownerless simply means 'without an owner', something not owned by anyone.