rudderless

American  

[ruhd-er-lis] / ˈrʌd ər lɪs /

adjective

1. (of a boat, ship, or aircraft) lacking a rudder, the device or structure used to change direction and steer.

   I love the story of Columba, a priest in sixth-century Ireland, who got into a rudderless boat and let God and providence take him where he was meant to be.

2. lacking purpose, leadership, moral principles, or anything else that might provide direction; aimless.

   The people are drifting and rudderless, without a vision to unify and motivate them and without a shared set of values.

---

Etymology

Origin of rudderless

rudder ( def. ) + -less ( def. )

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rudderless

The conflict has upended the fun-loving vibes the musician spent his life cultivating, with the family seeming rudderless without him, according to court documents and interviews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

It sounds like she’s been rudderless for some time now.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026

Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Ecuador's ambassador to Britain who chaired the last three of six negotiation rounds, has announced he is stepping down, leaving the process rudderless.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025

Raducanu appeared rudderless for much of that period, although she was rarely short of support.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2025

It was as if someone had slipped into the Kremlin in 1950 and held Stalin at gunpoint, leaving the nation, accustomed to obeying a tyrant, utterly rudderless.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---