rudderless

American  

[ruhd-er-lis] / ˈrʌd ər lɪs /

adjective

1. (of a boat, ship, or aircraft) lacking a rudder, the device or structure used to change direction and steer.

   I love the story of Columba, a priest in sixth-century Ireland, who got into a rudderless boat and let God and providence take him where he was meant to be.

2. lacking purpose, leadership, moral principles, or anything else that might provide direction; aimless.

   The people are drifting and rudderless, without a vision to unify and motivate them and without a shared set of values.

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Etymology

Origin of rudderless

rudder ( def. ) + -less ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rudderless

The conflict has upended the fun-loving vibes the musician spent his life cultivating, with the family seeming rudderless without him, according to court documents and interviews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Steam rolled for 133 just after lunch in Birmingham on Wednesday they looked rudderless against opponents who were ruthless.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

It sounds like she’s been rudderless for some time now.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026

I’ve always had a lot of young men in this space who were a little bit rudderless.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

I’d failed to appreciate the grip climbing had on my soul, however, or the purpose it lent to my otherwise rudderless life.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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