clewless

English

Etymology

clew +‎ -less

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkluːləs/
• Homophone: clueless

Adjective

clewless (comparative more clewless, superlative most clewless)

1. Without a clew (thread to guide one's way through a maze)
   • 1772, Thomas Hallie Delamayne, The Senators, page 40:

     And now the muse (with courage not her own, / But that which heav'n protects with Freedom's, throne) / Has dar'd a clew-less passage to explore […] .

2. Clueless.
   • 1911, Ambrose Bierce, “maiden”, in The Devil’s Dictionary, New York, N.Y., Washington, D.C.: The Neale Publishing Company, →OCLC:

     A young person of the unfair sex addicted to clewless conduct and views that madden to crime.

Adverb

clewless (comparative more clewless, superlative most clewless)

1. Without a clew (thread to guide one's way through a maze)
   • 2007, Julian Hawthorne, Idolatry, →ISBN, page 209:

     He wandered clewless in a maze of mystery.