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Synonyms

aimless

American  
[eym-lis] / ˈeɪm lɪs /

adjective

  1. without aim; purposeless.


aimless British  
/ ˈeɪmlɪs /

adjective

  1. having no goal, purpose, or direction

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of aimless

First recorded in 1620–30; aim + -less

Explanation

If you're aimless, you don't have a destination or a goal in mind. Aimless wandering through a forest might take you in circles, or worse yet, get you lost. The adjective aimless is good for describing things that have no particular purpose or plan. You might prefer traveling with a map or GPS, while your best friend likes to drive in an aimless way, turning down dirt roads or exiting the highway impulsively. When you call a person aimless, you probably mean that he doesn't appear to have any ambition: "My brother's an aimless drifter." Aimless comes from aim, "purpose" or "target."

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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.

AIMLESS: John Canally, an investment strategist at LPL Financial, expects the market to drift until the Federal Reserve meets next week.

From US News • Jun. 9, 2015

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