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Synonyms

aimlessly

American  
[eym-lis-lee] / ˈeɪm lɪs li /

adverb

  1. without purpose or intent.

    She wandered aimlessly among the empty houses, telling herself sad stories about all the people who weren’t there.

    There was no actual work to do, so I spent most of my workday browsing aimlessly through social media.

Etymology

Origin of aimlessly

aimless ( def. ) + -ly

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.

The 21-year-old tanker sailed aimlessly for more than a month, according to ship-tracking data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

It never feels like Brooks has a grasp on the material, which careens aimlessly through Ella’s harried day-to-day in a handsomely bland, serviceable style.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

She sits silently, her eyes glassy as she stares aimlessly across the hospital ward.

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

But the hard-liners have not merely been idle bystanders, whining aimlessly as they get outvoted.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2024

Back in his bedroom, Harry fiddled aimlessly with his rucksack, then poked a couple of owl nuts through the bars of Hedwig’s cage.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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.