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. )

Example Sentences

Some of the anecdotes you have shared reflect the character of someone who is rather rudderless right now.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026

They’ve also taken a bigger year-over-year leap than any other team on record—transforming a rudderless, turnover-prone unit into one that defenses can’t figure out how to stop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Ecuador's ambassador to Britain who chaired the last three of six negotiation rounds, has announced he is stepping down, leaving the process rudderless.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

But while it was shocking to watch, it was also bumbling and rudderless and rather obviously doomed.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2025

At last his wife was rudderless, trying to steer some sort of course on a sea of confusion, asking him for directions.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole