aimlessness

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English aim

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der.

Proto-Germanic *leusaną

Proto-Germanic *lausaz

Proto-Germanic *-lausaz

Proto-West Germanic *-laus

Old English -lēas

Middle English -les

English -less

English aimless

Proto-Germanic *-in-

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti

Proto-Germanic *-ōną

Proto-Germanic *-inōną

Proto-Indo-European *-dyé-der.

Proto-Germanic *-atjaną

Proto-Indo-European *-tus

Proto-Germanic *-þuz

Proto-Germanic *-assuz

Proto-Germanic *-inassuz

Proto-West Germanic *-nassī

Old English -nes

Middle English -nesse

English -ness

English aimlessness

From aimless + -ness.

Noun

aimlessness (usually uncountable, plural aimlessnesses)

1. The state or quality of being aimless, or without purpose or direction.
   • 2007 October 25, Kelefa Sanneh, “Songs With a Sneaky Streak”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 November 2022:

     Some fans may have mistaken the album’s floatiness for aimlessness, but Mr. Mercer’s songs have never been sneakier, or prettier.

Synonyms

• indirection

Translations

state or quality of being aimless, or without purpose or direction

• Czech: bezcílnost f
• Esperanto: senceleco
• German: Ziellosigkeit (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: εἰκαιότης f (eikaiótēs)

• Hungarian: céltalanság (hu)
• Irish: fánaíocht f
• Polish: bezcelowość (pl) f, bezprzedmiotowość (pl) f
• Russian: бесце́льность (ru) f (bescélʹnostʹ)
• Turkish: amaçsızlık (tr)