steerless

S1T1E1E1R1L1E1S1S1
UK/ˈstɪələs/US/ˈstɪɹləs/

adjective

Having no rudder.

OriginMiddle English stereles ← Old English stēorlēas →
Scrabble 9
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivesteerless (not comparable)
  1. not comparableobsoleteHaving no rudder.
  2. figurativelynot comparableWithout a guiding or steering influence; haphazard.

Origin

  1. Old Englishstēorlēas“ungovernable, unruly”
  2. Middle Englishstereles
  3. Englishsteerless

From Middle English stereles, sterelees, from Old English stēorlēas (“ungovernable, unruly”), equivalent to steer + -less.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

steerless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steerless

MLA

“steerless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steerless. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “steerless,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steerless.

Source: steerless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.