Aimlessly is the adverb: you do something with no clear purpose or direction. He wandered aimlessly around the station. She scrolled aimlessly on her phone. It is the same idea as aimless, but it tells you how the action happens, not what kind of person or afternoon it is. Built from aimless + -ly. In stories it often paints a slightly sad or empty picture — walking, driving, talking, with nothing you are trying to finish. Though actually, a student who “wandered aimlessly” after an exam may only have been tired, not lost in life; English uses one word for both the light and the heavy feeling.