drifting
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Continually changing, especially in abode or occupation: Describes a person, group, or lifestyle characterized by frequent movement from one place or job to another without a fixed, permanent state.
- Aimless, without clear direction: Describes movement or existence that lacks a specific goal or purpose.
Noun:
- The act of moving aimlessly from place to place: The state or activity of wandering without a fixed destination or purpose.
- The process of being carried along by currents: Literally, the movement of something (like a boat or cloud) driven by wind or water currents.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- He led a drifting existence for years, never staying in one city for more than a few months.
- The novel follows the drifting protagonist as he travels across the country.
- Noun:
- His life was a constant drifting, with no real home or career.
- The drifting of the icebergs is monitored by scientists.
Advanced Usage
- "drifting apart": (phrasal verb) To gradually become less close or connected, often used for relationships.
- Over the years, the old friends found themselves drifting apart.
- Conceptual use: Can describe a state of mind or attention that is unfocused.
- She was in a drifting state of thought, not concentrating on the lecture.
Variants and Related Words
- Drift (verb/noun): The base form. As a verb: to be carried along by currents; to move aimlessly. As a noun: a continuous slow movement; a general meaning or intent.
- The boat began to drift out to sea.
- I didn't understand the drift of his argument.
- Drifter (noun): A person who moves from place to place without a fixed home or job.
- He was a drifter, living a nomadic life.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Nomadic, rootless, itinerant, vagrant, wandering.
- Noun: Wandering, roaming, vagrancy, meandering.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Drift off: To fall asleep gradually.
- I drifted off while listening to the rain.
- Drift into: To enter a state or condition gradually and often unintentionally.
- He drifted into a life of crime.
Related Idioms
- Get the drift: To understand the general meaning or idea of something.
- I think you get the drift of what I'm saying.
- Drift with the tide: To go along with prevailing opinions or circumstances without resistance.
- He doesn't make decisions; he just drifts with the tide.
Adjective
- continually changing especially as from one abode or occupation to another
- a drifting double-dealer
- the floating population
- vagrant hippies of the sixties
Noun
- aimless wandering from place to place