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

He spends chapters meditating on trauma and fatherhood, on periods of feeling spiritually adrift, on coming to love a “majestic” faith tradition while remaining connected to the rowdy evangelicals of his childhood.

From Slate • Jun. 18, 2026

The win - in combination with Antonelli's first retirement of the year - puts Hamilton 41 points adrift of the Italian, and extends his lead over Russell to nine.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

But her efforts are no match for a big storm that sets the house adrift in the wild sea.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Scheffler, who shot a Saturday 65 on his way to winning last year's US PGA, surprisingly stuttered to a 71 and is five adrift.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

And as he cut himself adrift, both from them and simultaneously from that other world he had known before them, he marveled: What an awful thing the truth is, and how comforting is a lie.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• afloat