adrift

[uh-drift]

See more synonyms for adrift on Thesaurus.com

adjective, adverb

floating without control; drifting; not anchored or moored: The survivors were adrift in the rowboat for three days.
lacking aim, direction, or stability.

Origin of adrift

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for adrift

Contemporary Examples

Adrift in senility and depression, Hitchcock is dismantling his life, putting it away.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Still, “They were my island of misfit toys,” she says, adrift.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending
Anne Berry
September 13, 2014
The reason Price of Fame ultimately becomes tiresome is our increasing awareness of how adrift the woman at its center is.
Clare Boothe Luce's Vapid Second Act
Wendy Smith
July 5, 2014
Each experience—like so many others in her life—left her wounded, weary, adrift.
Maya Angelou Knew How To Inspire As A Writer, Teacher, and Great Human Being
Joshua DuBois
May 28, 2014
On the sixth day adrift on the waves, four refugees died and their bodies were tossed overboard.
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus
Katie Baker
April 30, 2014

Historical Examples

But we were afraid to lose sight of the bridge, lest we should get all adrift.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
"I think if I were up there I'd cut us adrift," said Stanley grimly.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930
Various
Then she introduced her daughter to Drake and sent them adrift through the rooms.
The Christian
Hall Caine
We'd be adrift and out of sight of land if Mary-'Gusta went away.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln
Have a civil tongue, then, and don't provoke me to turn you adrift on the world.
One Of Them
Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for adrift

adrift

adjective, adverb (postpositive)

floating without steering or mooring; drifting
without purpose; aimless
informal off course or amissthe project went adrift

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for adrift

adv.

1620s, from a- (1) "on" + drift. Figurative use by 1680s.

adrift

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}adrift

Examples from the Web for adrift

Contemporary Examples

Adrift in senility and depression, Hitchcock is dismantling his life, putting it away.

Still, “They were my island of misfit toys,” she says, adrift.

The reason Price of Fame ultimately becomes tiresome is our increasing awareness of how adrift the woman at its center is.

Each experience—like so many others in her life—left her wounded, weary, adrift.

On the sixth day adrift on the waves, four refugees died and their bodies were tossed overboard.

Historical Examples

But we were afraid to lose sight of the bridge, lest we should get all adrift.

"I think if I were up there I'd cut us adrift," said Stanley grimly.

Then she introduced her daughter to Drake and sent them adrift through the rooms.

We'd be adrift and out of sight of land if Mary-'Gusta went away.

Have a civil tongue, then, and don't provoke me to turn you adrift on the world.

adrift

Word Origin and History for adrift

adv.

Origin of adrift