ENGLISH
REFERENCE

adrift

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //əˈdɹɪft// UK //ɐdɹˈɪft// adrift

adj. floating on the water without being tied to anything or controlled by anyone. You can also use it to describe a person who feels lost or has no clear purpose in life.

adj. floating without being moored or steered; by extension, lacking a sense of purpose or direction. Often follows a linking verb such as 'be', 'feel', or 'seem'.


SIMPLE

The small boat was adrift in the middle of the lake.

CONTEXTUAL

After losing his job of twenty years, he felt completely adrift and unsure of his next move.

COMPLEX

The vessel was found adrift several miles offshore, its engines silent and its crew nowhere to be seen, sparking an immediate investigation by the coastguard.

Synonyms
Origin

From a- + drift.

Usage

Used predicatively after a verb; rarely placed before a noun.

Pitfall

an adrift boata boat adriftAdrift is an 'a-' adjective and typically follows the noun or a linking verb rather than preceding the noun.

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