adrift

American  

[uh-drift] / əˈdrɪft /

adjective

1. floating without control; drifting; not anchored or moored.

   The survivors were adrift in the rowboat for three days.

2. lacking aim, direction, or stability.

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adrift British  

/ əˈdrɪft /

adjective

1. floating without steering or mooring; drifting

2. without purpose; aimless

3. informal off course or amiss

   the project went adrift

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Etymology

Origin of adrift

First recorded in 1615–25; a- ¹ + drift

Explanation

If something's adrift, it's floating, not tied down or anchored. A raft that's adrift on a river will float downstream. If a ship goes adrift, it meanders off course, simply traveling with the water rather than on a charted course. Likewise, if you feel your life has gone figuratively adrift, you may have lost track of your plans and feel like you're wandering without a purpose. The word adrift comes from the sense of drift that means "a slow movement from one place to another," from an Old Norse root word.

Example Sentences

Adrift in this way, people were far less capable of recovering from the trauma of their individual losses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Adrift after high school, Moss joined the Marines.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2024

Adrift offshore were a plethora of stricken yachts, some overturned, others displaying deep gashes; masts, motors and radio equipment were squished together with coconuts, fishing lines, palm fronds and other maritime detritus.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2023

Adrift for 19 days following the collapse of the Pac-12, the Cardinal and Bears have experienced fits and starts in their ongoing pursuit of shelter in a conference based in the Eastern Time Zone.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2023

Adrift, I began to look elsewhere for attention and thus took the first steps out of my child’s realm toward a world of grownups other than my parents.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

Related Words

• afloat