aimless

adjective

aim·​less ˈām-ləs 

: without aim or purpose : not having a goal or purpose

… we would not get to sit on the verandah drinking cold beer at the end of the day, starting up aimless conversations with other couples …

—Alexandra Kennedy

Some years, you feel that nothing much is being made except plotless tales about aimless young people wasting time …

—Robin Buss

The wind blew, the shad were nowhere to be found, even steady use of our fish locator and aimless trolling around the lakes failed to provoke a single strike.

—Steve Davis

aimlessly adverb

… whenever they had the chance, he and Zave would climb the steep streets and walk aimlessly beneath the arching trees, looking at the mansions.

—James A. Michener

aimlessness noun

… my friends are all prematurely successful in their worthwhile, absorbing careers, and I am frightening my parents and maybe even myself with my aimlessness.

—Daphne Uviller

Synonyms

• arbitrary
• catch-as-catch-can
• desultory
• erratic
• haphazard
• helter-skelter
• hit-or-miss
• random
• scattered
• slapdash
• stray

Examples of aimless in a Sentence

he enjoyed taking aimless walks through the park

Recent Examples on the Web

Starring Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm, the Southern California-set comedy follows members of an aimless friend group with Peter Pan syndrome, who work at a telemarketing company 9 to 5 and live together 5 to 9. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 22 Dec. 2024

Critical possessions no longer feel aimless, as the Suns are flowing into their offense with intention. —Shane Young, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

Without his six other members filling the space around him, and in the absence of a packed schedule keeping him hurdling full speed ahead, RM (born Kim Namjoon) is loose, unguarded, often introspective and occasionally gleefully aimless. —Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

This organization seems totally aimless in its direction at this point. —Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 1 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

aimless

adjective

aim·​less

ˈām-ləs

: lacking a goal or purpose

aimless wandering

aimlessly adverb

aimlessness noun