wandering

American  

[won-der-ing] / ˈwɒn dər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. moving from place to place without a fixed plan; roaming; rambling.

   Crowds of wandering tourists crossed the square.

2. having no permanent residence; nomadic.

   They were historically a wandering people, moving seasonally through the area.

3. meandering; winding.

   They followed a wandering path down the mountain.

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noun

1. an aimless roving about; leisurely traveling from place to place.

   For our honeymoon we had a period of delightful wandering through Italy.

2. Usually wanderings.

   1. aimless travels; meanderings.

      Her wanderings took her all over the world.

   2. disordered thoughts or utterances; incoherencies.

      mental wanderings;

      the wanderings of delirium.

3. seemingly aimless or random movement from one place to another by a person with a mental or cognitive disability or impairment.

   Wandering by Alzheimer’s patients is a problem in nursing homes.

Other Word Forms

• unwandering adjective
• unwanderingly adverb
• wanderingly adverb
• wanderingness noun

Etymology

Origin of wandering

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (noun, adjective), Old English wandrigende (adjective); wander ( def. ), -ing ² ( def. ), -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Visit West Hollywood – Head out to West Hollywood for a different pace: sunshine, good wandering, and a little scene-y energy.

From Salon

It opens with rumbling drums, a wandering upright bass, and an atmospheric synthesizer.

From Los Angeles Times

“Your room used to be his room. Your bed was his bed,” my mom said, wandering in.

From Literature

But as a rule, Clare never sent a wandering spirit to this particular realm unless he was absolutely, positively, most certainly certain.

From Literature

Lucas, 61, a musician from Bristol, travels to the Lake District in Cumbria for one week every month and regularly posts pictures of his wanderings.

From BBC

Related Words

• meandering
• nomadic
• roving