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unanchored

unanchored

6.7
Not having firm support or a steady base and often feeling unsure
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈæŋkərd/
translation icon : desorientado
  • After losing her job, she felt unanchored and uncertain about her future.

So of course, inflation expectations were high and unanchored.

Examples

  • The unanchored feelings of confusion overwhelmed him as he tried to find his way.

  • The failure left him loose and unanchored, and weak for a long time.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I often felt like an unanchored boat on a river in the ME trilogy.

    Blog text (6)

  • Use setting skillfully and avoid the problem of characters who seem to be floating in some vague ether, unanchored to a place or time.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Without a stable home, the children felt unanchored and were prone to anxiety.

Synonyms

unmoored
vsunanchored
3 7.0

Not held in place and often feels unstable or uncertain

emphasizes lack of firm basis or emotional support rather than movement
anchorless
vsunanchored
1 6.8

Having no firm base or sense of belonging

is the same in meaning but differs only in word form
uncentered
vsunanchored
7.6

Feeling mentally unsteady and unable to focus

focuses on lacking a stable basis in both physical and emotional senses
unoriented
vsunanchored
7.5

Not having a clear direction, goal or plan

is about not having support or stability rather than missing direction

Antonyms

stable
473 2.3

Not likely to change and stays steady over time

How Anchored

secure
  • Specialized
31 4.7
stable
473 2.3
grounded
4.2
shaky
53 3.3
unanchored
6.7
ungrounded
1 6.3

Surface Forms

unanchored positive

Morphology

unanchored = anchored (semi-transparent) = un + anchor + ed

The negation of 'anchored' maps to the figurative sense of lacking stability or support, which is metaphorical though still related to the concrete base.

Etymology

Unanchored comes from anchor, which gives a boat a firm base, with un- meaning 'not'. That's why we call a person or idea unanchored when it feels 'without support or stability'.