Synonyms of drifter

drifter

noun

ˈdrif-tər 

as in gypsy

a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination

the drifter just packed up and moved on to the next dead-end job

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gypsy
• traveller
• wanderer
• nomad
• traveler
• bird of passage
• roamer
• wayfarer
• vagabond
• gadabout
• knockabout
• rover
• rambler
• hobo
• passenger
• straggler
• maunderer
• stroller
• sojourner
• loiterer
• migrant
• laggard
• tramp
• sightseer
• lingerer
• vagrant
• bum
• transient
• ambler
• saunterer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• resident
• inhabitant
• settler
• dweller
• homebody
• denizen
• habitant

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drifter

In both the series and the books, Jack Reacher is a drifter who moves from town to town, so Ritchson's hero is the show's most consistent presence. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2025

In Kelly Reichardt’s quietly shattering drama, Michelle Williams plays a drifter stranded in Oregon who’s separated from her beloved dog, Lucy, after she’s arrested for shoplifting food. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2025

As Carol continues her search for Daryl stateside, the scraggly drifter finds himself on the wrong side of French autocrats while protecting a young boy (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) and a nun (Clémence Poésy), who are trying to flee a religious cult that believes the young man is their messiah. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Poitier stars as Homer Smith, a drifter who turns up in a small Arizona town and helps a group of nuns construct a chapel for the local community. —EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025