unmoored
3
7.0
- adjective
- /ʌnˈmʊrd/
:
desamarra
- Throughout Latin America, party systems have become unmoored from the traditional ideologies and collective identities on which they were once based.
- feels unmoored
- become unmoored
Examples
-
Hung in the middle of the hill, the house seemed huge, empty, and unmoored, as if the absence of bodies inside allowed it to float.
Fiction book (2000) -
In the present, gazing at Rothko's sentient geometry, I feel as unmoored as I did then, but also at home.
Academic text (2008) -
We, as a nation, have become unmoored from empiricism.
Blog text (20) -
At the ripe old age of 18, I felt as unmoored as the existentialists I was reading.
Academic text (2010) -
She's an unmoored ship drifting off to sea.
-
But when Julia is remote, Jake becomes anxious, unmoored, his nerves shimmying.
Fiction book (1991) -
As opposed to Normandy's views peppered with vacationers and sailboats, Belle-le's cliffs stand alone, unmoored from time and space and shorn of human presence.
Academic text (2015) -
Queen Jolly Freeze came unmoored, floated majestically across the flats before a stiff, hot breeze that smelled of fresh-baked oatmeal bread.
Fiction book (1999) -
After the sudden move to a new city, she felt completely unmoored and unsure of her place.
-
Without a clear job or home, he lived a life that felt unmoored and chaotic.
Synonyms
155
1.0
Able to move or come loose
7
4.4
Floating on water without being tied to anything
7
4.2
Drifting without a clear direction, often about people or plans
5
5.2
Not tied or held, able to move and act freely
5
6.7
Not tied to anything and able to move freely
2
4.3
Something loose and not fixed to the thing it belongs to
2
5.7
Free from chains or things that hold someone back
2
4.3
Weather that often changes, bringing rain or strong wind
2
4.2
Not fixed to anything so it can move freely
2
1.6
Free from ropes or chains and able to move
1
4.9
Not joined to something it was attached to before
1
6.8
Having no firm base or sense of belonging
Not attached or held in place so it can move
Not attached to a frame or backing
Not firmly attached and able to move or fall
Not connected to another thing, like a beam or wire
Not physically connected or locked so parts can move apart
Free from any tie and able to move or act freely
Not tied, closed, or attached
Not attached to something or fastened in place
Not fixed in one place or not feeling connected to a home
Not tied with a rope
Free from something that holds you so you can move or act
Antonyms
How Secure
Surface Forms
Morphology
unmoored = moored (transparent) = un + moor + ed
The prefix 'un-' clearly negates the meaning of 'moored', indicating a lack of being fixed or secured.
Etymology
Unmoored comes from un- 'not' and moor 'to tie a boat to the shore'. Imagine a boat that is not tied and can drift away — that's why unmoored describes someone or something 'not fixed' or lacking stability.