waif
Neglected homeless child
A waif is a homeless, neglected, or abandoned person, especially a child.
The word conjures an image of vulnerability—thin, ragged, uncared for: a waif begging on the street corner.
In fashion and photography, waif describes an extremely thin, fragile-looking model or aesthetic: the waif look of 1990s supermodels.
Waif can also apply to stray animals.
Shabby, unkempt child
- gamineBoyish, playful young woman
- AnnieDiminutive female name
- street urchinDestitute child living outdoors
- DickensianGrimly poor, socially unjust
Cosette · Oliver Twist · guttersnipe · mudlark · Little Orphan Annie · ingenue · ragged · tattered
Homeless itinerant person
- wandererRootless, roving person
- vagabondHomeless, aimless wanderer
- nomadHomeless wanderer by choice
- strayWander from course
runaway · roamer · itinerant · transient · urchin · rover · rambler · street child
Child whose parents died
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- neglectedNot given proper attention
- unwantedNot wished for
- discardedGotten rid of
rejected · castaway · outcast · alone · adrift · displaced · lost · stranded
ragamuffin
Shabby, unkempt child
- gamineBoyish, playful young woman
- AnnieDiminutive female name
- street urchinDestitute child living outdoors
Cosette · Oliver Twist · Dickensian · guttersnipe · mudlark · Little Orphan Annie · ingenue · ragged · tattered · barefoot
vagrant
Homeless itinerant person
stray · runaway · roamer · itinerant · transient · urchin · rover · rambler · street child · wayfarer
orphan
Child whose parents died
discarded · rejected · castaway · outcast · alone · adrift · displaced · lost · stranded · homeless
thin
Small in diameter
skeletal · frail · delicate · wispy · slight · underfed · malnourished · bony · scrawny · spindly
melancholy
Subdued, lasting sadness
dejected · woebegone · pitiful · plaintive · doleful · heartbroken · mournful · bereft · pensive · crestfallen
- childrenkids, toddler, baby, infant, youngster
- Victorianaseances, Dickens, spiritualism, Sherlock Holmes, phrenology
- body typesectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph, somatotype, athletic build
- skinnythin, slim, slender, lean, skinny
- outsidersoutcast, outsider, outcasts, pariah, misfit
- family lossorphan, motherless, fatherless, parentless, abandonment
waifheavyweight
Highest combat weight class
hulk · bruiser · giant · amazon · powerhouse
- waifs and straysHomeless, neglected people