Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Without system; in biology, not exhibiting any of the distinct systems or types of structure characteristic of most organisms, as the radiate in the vegetable kingdom, and the vertebrate, etc., in the animal kingdom; lacking differentiated or specialized tissues; structureless: as, in the vegetable kingdom the Algæ and in the animal kingdom the Protozoa are systemless.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Being without system.
  • adjective (Nat. Hist.) Not agreeing with some artificial system of classification.
  • adjective (Biol.) Not having any of the distinct systems or types of structure, as the radiate, articulate, etc., characteristic of organic nature.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective lacking organised or systematic structure; without a system

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

system +‎ -less

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Examples

  • Tales from the Rocket HouseA Little Housekeeping discussion has led me to realize that "systemless" isn't the best word, since the whole topic of the last two columns, effectively, an informal social system.

    RPGnet Tim Dedeaux 2009

  • I look forward to the silence of life and the embrace of a systemless sleep …

    365 tomorrows » 2009 » March : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2009

  • Most recently, they started to publish Freeport as a set of core “systemless” books and then system specific companions – their in-house True20 system and normal d20.

    Savage Freeport! « Geek Related 2008

  • I recently ran a very successful systemless tabletop RPG called Blue Charlie.

    Archive 2007-05-01 Greg Tannahill 2007

  • I recently ran a very successful systemless tabletop RPG called Blue Charlie.

    Blue Charlie Greg Tannahill 2007

  • I would VERY much like to see writeups sufficient for someone else to run them would be nice, some descriptions of play would be even better of any of your systemless RPG scenarios.

    Blue Charlie Greg Tannahill 2007

  • He'd been a remittance man too, back in the thirties, and the most maniacal, systemless chess player in Central Asia.

    Gravity's Rainbow Pynchon, Thomas 1978

  • Wars between France, England, and Holland, the indifferent, systemless ways of French colonization, but chiefly the constant incursion of the Caribs, interrupted or at least greatly obstructed the progress of missions.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Aachen-Assize 1840-1916 1913

  • There have been isolated acts of self-sacrifice, splendid in themselves but systemless.

    The Pawns Count 1906

  • Low ideals, slipshod work, aimless, systemless, half-hearted endeavors, should have no place in your program.

    Pushing to the Front Orison Swett Marden 1887

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