amorphous
Americanadjective
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lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless.
the amorphous clouds.
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of no particular kind or character; indeterminate; having no pattern or structure; unorganized.
an amorphous style; an amorphous personality.
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Petrography, Mineralogy. occurring in a mass, as without stratification or crystalline structure.
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Chemistry. not crystalline.
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Biology. having structural components that are not clearly differentiated, as the nuclear material in certain bacteria.
adjective
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lacking a definite shape; formless
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of no recognizable character or type
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(of chemicals, rocks, etc) not having a crystalline structure
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Not made of crystals. Glass, amber, and plastics are amorphous substances.
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Lacking definite form or shape.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of amorphous
First recorded in 1725–35, amorphous is from the Greek word ámorphos shapeless. See a- 6, -morph, -ous
Explanation
Amorphous means without a clearly defined form, like the moon's amorphous reflection in a lake. Figuratively, something amorphous lacks focus, be it a work of art, a political movement, or even someone's life plans. The Greek roots of this word are clear: morphē means "form," and a- means "lacking or without." When creative works or ideas are described as amorphous, it means they suffer from a lack of organization. An amorphous object lacks a well-defined outline or structure, like amorphous jellyfish drifting on the surface of the ocean. And scientifically, this adjective simply describes something without a crystalline form, like an amorphous metal or amorphous ice.
Vocabulary lists containing amorphous
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Great Gatsby
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lawrence had a passion for unusual scents ever since college, when a roommate introduced her to the indie fragrance brand Amorphous Perfume.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2025
Amorphous ice is different: it has no such order.
From Scientific American • Feb. 7, 2023
“If scents are causing you discomfort, masks can definitely help,” says Kalliope Amorphous, owner of the perfume house Black Baccara.
From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2022
Everything that could go wrong seemed to be going wrong for Mr. Davis, a 23-year-old D.J. who goes by Amorphous.
From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2021
Amorphous aberration evolves from circular discolour to pronounced glow , growing out of the livery of darkness , enlightens all on earth domiciled .
From NATURAE by Dom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
