We mean the rowdy and shiftless element that might drift among us.
From some of the new arrivals comes the retort that the natives are shiftless and obsessed with past injustices.
Out of such impressions sprang the myth of a romantic mission past contrasted with a squalid and shiftless present.
Investigation failed to disclose who was to blame for the shiftless work that baa been done.
British Dictionary definitions for shiftless
shiftless
/ˈʃɪftlɪs/
adjective
1.
lacking in ambition or initiative
Derived Forms
shiftlessly, adverb shiftlessness, noun
Word Origin and History for shiftless
adj.
"wanting in resources or energy and ability to shift for oneself," 1580s, from shift (n.1) in the sense "resources" + -less. Related: Shiftlessly; shiftlessness.