formless

American  

[fawrm-lis] / ˈfɔrm lɪs /

adjective

1. lacking a definite or regular form or shape; shapeless.

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formless British  

/ ˈfɔːmlɪs /

adjective

1. without a definite shape or form; amorphous

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Other Word Forms

• formlessness
  noun
• formlessly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of formless

First recorded in 1585–95; form + -less

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Explanation

Something formless either has no definite shape, like fog or smoke, or lacks structure, like a formless movie that doesn't seem to have much of a plot. You can use this adjective to describe things that are physically vague and shapeless, from formless crowds of people surging forward at a rock concert or the formless, ghost-like shapes in your dark basement. It's also good for things like songs, poems, ideas, or concepts that are unstructured or incoherent and hard to make sense of.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

formless

The arias and duets, which are almost always slowly paced and formless, lack that visceral, theatrical punch and do not musically distinguish one character from another.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2025

But as algorithms funnel audiences deeper into formless background listening, Sunday’s show was a reminder that chill can be compelling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025

He is formless, almost faceless, a man whose countenance is a caricature, a man whose framework seems cartilaginous, without bones.

From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2025

The defining complaint about the sacked Dutchman was that after two-and-a-bit seasons the football was still formless and the tactical direction indecipherable.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2024

Below them, at the bottom of a fall of some fifteen hundred feet, lay the inner plain stretching away into a formless gloom beyond their sight.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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