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unmoored

To be unmoored is to feel untethered and uncertain, like a balloon that has been let go, drifting aimlessly through the sky.

The word unmoored comes from the world of sailing, where it describes a boat set loose from its anchor, left to float freely in the sea. In a figurative sense, unmoored refers to feeling confused or disoriented, like someone adjusting to life in a new city or grappling with a major change that disrupts their sense of stability.

Definitions of unmoored
  1. adjective
    freed from cables or ropes, especially of a ship
  2. adjective
    (figurative) mentally confused, insecure, or disoriented
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