rootless

[ root-lis, root- ]

adjective

1. having no roots.
2. having no basis of stability; unsteady:

   a rootless feeling resulting from economic and social change.

3. having no place or position in society:

   a rootless wanderer.

rootless

/ ˈruːtlɪs /

adjective

1. having no roots, esp (of a person) having no ties with a particular place or community

Other Words From

• root·less·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rootless¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English roteles; root ¹, + -less ( def )

Example Sentences

Breached rootless cones identified in the current study show similar occurrences of polyhydrated sulfates, further suggesting the blistered volcanic blanket may be hiding a vast sheet of glacier ice underneath it.

From Science Daily

Some of those leftovers are linked to the last-minute installation of rootless trees, two volunteers told The Associated Press.

From Washington Times

The consequences place a target on her back that forces her to remain rootless to survive.

From Salon

Dispossessed of his father and fatherland, a rootless Eastern European Jew on a continent gripped by nationalist fever, Roth’s self-identity was especially tenuous.

From Washington Post

Two rootless alienated people, withdrawn and isolated, opened the door to each other, said Aloha, Howdy, How you doing, and Good Evening.

From New York Times

Related Words

• distrustful
• dubious
• hesitant
• indecisive
• mistrustful
• shaky
• skeptical
• suspicious
• uncertain
• unclear
• unconvinced
• undecided