definitions

rootless

[ root-lis, roo t- ]
/ ˈrut lɪs, ˈrʊt- /
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adjective

having no roots.
having no basis of stability; unsteady: a rootless feeling resulting from economic and social change.
having no place or position in society; not in accord with the environment: the homeless, rootless wanderer.

RELATED WORDS

shaky, unstable, wobbly, frail, unreliable, immature, vulnerable, rocky, nervous, insecure, weak, precarious, unsettled, jittery, rickety, unsteady, skeptical, unclear, uncertain, hesitant

Nearby words

rooti, rooting compound, rooting reflex, rootkit, rootle, rootless, rootlet, roots, roots blower, roots music, rootserver

Origin of rootless

First recorded in 1325–75, rootless is from the Middle English word rooteles. See root1, -less
Related formsroot·less·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rootless

British Dictionary definitions for rootless

rootless

/ (ˈruːtlɪs) /

adjective

having no roots, esp (of a person) having no ties with a particular place or community
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

Word Origin and History for rootless

rootless

adj.

late 14c., from root (n.) + -less. Related: Rootlessly; rootlessness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper