driverless

American  

[drahy-ver-lis] / ˈdraɪ vər lɪs /

adjective

1. 1. not having a human driver in control.

      The horse became startled and the now driverless horse-drawn carriage ran into a car.

   2. without a human operator.

      driverless machinery.

2. (of a vehicle) navigated and maneuvered by a computer without a need for human control or intervention under a range of driving situations and conditions.

   a driverless car.

---

Etymology

Origin of driverless

First recorded in 1840–1850

Explanation

If you spot a car cruising down the road without a human at the wheel, don’t worry — it's not a ghost driving, it's probably just a driverless vehicle. The word driverless means exactly what it sounds like: a vehicle with no one driving it. The word combines driver, someone who drives or controls movement, with the suffix -less, which means "without." Driverless vehicles use technology like sensors and computers to "see" the road and make decisions without a person behind the wheel.

Example Sentences

Robo-taxis currently operate in 11 United States cities, indicating the growth of driverless cars.

From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026

At a time when Waymo’s impressive success and the advent of AI have rekindled excitement about everything driverless, Monarch’s failure to disrupt has become another cautionary tale about massive bets on the latest tech.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

The company set out with the ambitious goal of bringing battery power, data collection and driverless technology to tractors.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

Criticism of driverless technology has meanwhile stepped up as the vehicles become more common in urban areas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

King Yudhishthira the just, steedless and driverless, looked like a blazing fire in consequence of the wrath with which he was then excited.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan