adrift
Americanadjective
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floating without control; drifting; not anchored or moored.
The survivors were adrift in the rowboat for three days.
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lacking aim, direction, or stability.
adjective
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floating without steering or mooring; drifting
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without purpose; aimless
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informal off course or amiss
the project went adrift
Etymology
Origin of adrift
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.
Vocabulary lists containing adrift
Illegal
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Charlotte's Web
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The Young Man and the Sea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After 20 years away — 10 at war, 10 adrift — Odysseus is anxious to reclaim his kingdom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
You know a movie is adrift when you spend the running time admiring the grooming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Obsessing over him, adrift and unmoored in the shadowy rooms they once shared, Olga quickly loses the ability to navigate her days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Mercedes' George Russell, 40 points adrift of Antonelli in the championship, was a disappointing fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
While intellectually stimulating, decision theory, econometrics, and similar courses left me feeling adrift.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
