ˈshiftlə̇s, in rapid speech -fl- adjective
1.
a. : lacking in ability or resourcefulness : inefficient
is not being backward or shiftless when he clears a patch, burns the trees, cultivates it for a few years, and then abandons the area — W.H.Camp
b. : lacking in ambition or incentive : idle , lazy
caused many who were once proud, industrious, property-owning people to become indifferent, shiftless , languid and sickly — A.C.Chandler
2. : marked by lack of ambition, energy, or purpose
living there in a shiftless way, without any serious purpose — Ellen Glasgow
flabby, shiftless writing — Whitney Balliett
• shift·less·ly adverb
• shift·less·ness noun -es