di·rec·tion

(dĭ-rĕk′shən, dī-)

1. The management, supervision, or guidance of a group or operation: The manager's direction of the sales campaign has been highly effective.

2. The art or action of directing a musical, theatrical, or cinematic production.

a. An authoritative order or command: The supervisor shouted directions to employees in the warehouse.

b. Music A word or phrase in a score indicating how a passage is to be played or sung.

c. directions Instructions in how to do something or reach a destination: read the directions before assembling the grill; asked for directions in how to get to the lake.

a. The course along which a person or thing is moving or must move to reach a destination: The boat left the bay and sailed in a northerly direction.

b. The point toward which a person or thing faces or is oriented: The twins stood back to back, looking in opposite directions.

5. A course or line of development; a tendency toward a particular end or goal: charting a new direction for the company.

[Middle English, arrangement, from Latin dīrēctiō, dīrēctiōn-, from dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere, to direct; see direct.]

di·rec′tion·less adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

directionless

(dɪˈrɛkʃənlɪs)

adj

not having an identifiable direction or purpose

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

directionless - aimlessly drifting

adrift, afloat, aimless, planless, rudderless, undirected

purposeless - not evidencing any purpose or goal

Translations

directionless

[dɪˈrekʃənlɪs] ADJ [activity] → sin dirección, que no conduce a ninguna parte
to be/feel directionless → andar/sentirse sin rumbo ni dirección

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

directionless

adj activity → ziellos; person → unschlüssig, unentschlossen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

'The government is directionless and it lacks economic plans.'

PTI ministers are aiders, abettors of terrorists: Bilawal

ISLAAMBAD -- Terming Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf government an advanced version of PPP and PML-N governments, Amir Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq has said that the rulers seemed directionless as so far the government even could define its path.

JI buries chances of MMA revival

"Britain is divided, directionless and hurtling towards a legal deadline with no idea where we will end up after we cross it," he said.

'The UK is simply not ready for Brexit'

'As this government enters its first year, there are three issues that need urgent attention and deliberation, our economy, our seemingly directionless state of foreign affairs and rising gas prices.

PPP seeks transparency on terms of foreign debt

Khawaja Asif says in National Assembly that Pakistan has faced extreme embarrassment due to PTI govt's 'directionless' foreign policy

Mengal seeks disclosure of assets held by retired judges, generals and bureaucrats

The analyst said there has been a "stark shift" by interim management from being fairly reactionary and directionless to now being a company led by leaders who are "action-oriented" with a rapid and clear path to recovery.

Teva price target raised to $28 from $25 at Goldman Sachs

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Khairy was an eligible candidate for the post, with Umno in disarray and directionless in its struggle.

Dr M being 'sarcastic', Khairy says on endorsement for Umno presidency

Rabbi Shmuly writes: "Sadly, as Israel reaches a milestone in her modern history, Religious Zionism is fundamentally flawed, directionless, and even broken in many ways." Funny, that description sounds like pluralistic Judaism to me.

Rabbi Shmuly - heal thyself!

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi described the Modi government's foreign and defence policies as"directionless"that have created an"unquiet border"and"disquiet on the border"with Pakistan.

Cong hits out at Modi over Kashmir security situation

The longer the sense of directionless paddling goes on, the more voters will become dismayed with the Government and begin to look for alternatives - whether that be independence, a hard sudden Brexit or, you never know, maybe just remaining in the EU.

Search for an exit; RECORD View

Adam had just performed the primordial act of naming, had taken the first step toward imposing on the wide-open pointless meaningless directionless dementia of the real a set of cliches that no one would ever dislodge or want to dislodge--they are our human history, our edifice of thought, our answer to chaos.

Float

SINGER-SONGWRITER John Nicholas, 26, was "directionless" when he left education four years ago.

'It's great to be in a position to help make someone's day'