rootless

adjective

root·​less ˈrütlə̇s 

ˈru̇t-

: having no roots: such as

a

: lacking firmness or a solid basis : unstable

this explanation we find unconvincing and biologically rootless

—Weston La Barre

family and environmental factors which determine the rootless behavior of adolescents

—Frances Keene

b

: lacking a tie or sympathetic relationship with or in the social environment

have become rootless individuals who do not find a home either with their communal environment or with a Christian atmosphere

—J. M. Van der Kroef

all are strangers, rootless in place or time, in the nervous new civilization

—T. H. White, born 1915

c

of a tooth : retaining a pulp cavity widely open at the bottom that permits an abundant supply of nutriment

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Rhymes for rootless

• bootless
• fruitless