# adrift

**Pronunciation:** /əˈdrɪft/ · uh-DRIFT

**Part of speech:** adjective

## Meaning 1: when describing movement

Floating without being steered or anchored.

## Examples

- The life raft was found adrift several miles from the coast.
- We spent the afternoon watching the fallen leaves drift aimlessly adrift on the pond.
- The ship was left adrift after its engine failed in the heavy swell.

## Meaning 2: when describing people

lacking purpose or direction in life

## Examples

- He felt completely adrift after graduating from university.
- Without a mentor, the young artist was left adrift in the city.
- Many people feel adrift when they suddenly lose their long-term jobs.

## Synonyms

- loose — General term for something not fixed in place.
- floating — Describes staying on the surface of liquid.
- aimless — Often used for people lacking direction.
- unmoored — More formal; implies being detached from stability.

## Antonyms

- anchored — Fixed firmly in one place.
- moored — Secured to a dock or seabed.

## Common patterns

- set adrift — to release something or someone to float away — The sailors set the small boat adrift to save it from the rising tide.
- come adrift — to become detached or loose — The rope came adrift during the storm, causing the boat to float away.

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