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

• formlessly
  adverb
• formlessness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of formless

First recorded in 1585–95; form + -less

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

In contrast to the article’s portrait of a formless contest, recent polling portrays a race that is becoming more structured.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

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

Sometimes, it’s easier just to keep anguish as a nameless, formless thing, as Victor does in the first half of the film’s tagline: “Something bad happened to Agnes.”

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2025

The storm may not be over, but after a messy, formless start to life at Old Trafford we finally have evidence that a hard-pressing, direct and tactically coherent United is possible.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2025

The new mass of knowledge is still formless, incomplete, lacking the essential threads of connection, displaying misleading signals at every turn, riddled with blind alleys.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas