Meaning & use

unmoored

adjective·Advanced

Lacking a stable sense of purpose, connection, or direction, as if cut loose from one's usual anchors.

See it in a sentence

After losing his job, he felt unmoored, unsure of what to do with his days.

Moving to a new country left her feeling unmoored from everything familiar.

A note on using this word

Unmoored is almost always used figuratively today, though it literally describes a boat released from its mooring lines.

Words with a similar meaning

adriftdisorientedrootless

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

grounded

Another way to use it

2. adjective

Literally, released or broken free from a mooring line or anchor.

The storm left several small boats unmoored and drifting in the harbor.

Make it your own

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