Synonyms of drifting

drifting 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in ranging

Related Words

• ranging
• wandering
• meandering
• rambling
• roaming
• roving
• nomadic
• ambulatory
• itinerant
• peripatetic
• vagrant
• walking
• footloose
• nomad
• wayfaring
• errant
• peregrine
• ambulant
• vagabond
• migrant
• gallivanting
• fugitive
• migratory
• perambulatory
• sauntering
• traipsing
• strolling

Dissimilar Words

• static
• stationary
• standing
• settled
• motionless
• still
• immobile
• nonmoving

2

as in hovering

Related Words

• hovering
• sailing
• hanging
• gliding
• wafting
• floating
• poised
• free-floating
• afloat
• awash
• buoyant
• floaty
• unsinkable

Dissimilar Words

• sinking
• sunk
• high and dry
• aground

drifting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of drift

1

as in flowing

to move or proceed smoothly and readily

casual conversation drifting from one topic to another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flowing
• gliding
• cruising
• sailing
• sliding
• slipping
• rolling
• flying
• sweeping
• brushing
• racing
• coasting
• speeding
• streaming
• bowling
• rushing
• skimming
• breezing
• whisking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• struggling
• floundering
• stumbling
• trudging
• shuffling
• limping
• plodding
• lumbering
• laboring
• stamping
• stomping
• tramping
• toiling
• shambling
• stumping

2

as in floating

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

the boat drifted along on the current

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hovering
• floating
• sailing
• swimming
• gliding
• riding
• bobbing
• wafting
• hanging
• dangling
• poising
• suspending
• buoying
• rafting
• ballooning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settling
• sinking
• plunging
• diving
• lunging
• dipping
• submerging
• immersing
• submersing

3

as in wandering

to move about from place to place aimlessly

spent several years drifting from town to town, picking up odd jobs whenever he needed cash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wandering
• roaming
• floating
• cruising
• strolling
• meandering
• ranging
• roving
• knocking (about)
• rambling
• traipsing
• gallivanting
• batting
• sauntering
• ambling
• gadding (about)
• mooching
• maundering
• kicking around
• dawdling
• straying
• moping
• straggling
• tramping
• milling (about or around)
• hoboing
• vagabonding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drifting

Verb

Adkins then began stabbing himself with the box cutter and drifting in and out of consciousness, the affidavit states. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026

There was the part of her that was drifting, happy to lie in silk sheets and drink milk and sit with a gull on her lap, rapt, staring into eternity. — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Instead, many days have been dominated by thick smoke drifting into town. — Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 13 July 2026

The canine began drifting in and out of consciousness and lost the use of her legs during the incident on Sunday, 5 July. — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

This week has also seen two widespread fires in France, with one in the Pyrenees forcing the evacuation of 12,000 people, as well as a major fire in central Portugal, with satellite imagery showing plumes of smoke drifting well into the Atlantic. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Even minor sparks or drifting embers can incite nearby foliage or grass, setting off a rapidly spreading fire. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026

The chair owns much of the relationship architecture that allows both sides to work without drifting into passivity or intrusion. — David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Their nominal wide players aren’t explosive wingers who sprint 50 yards in five seconds, but more languid players who like drifting infield and playing passing combinations. — Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 July 2026