ill-formed

American  

[il-fawrmd] / ˈɪlˈfɔrmd /

adjective

1. badly formed.

2. Linguistics. not conforming to the rules of a given language; ungrammatical (well-formed ).

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Other Word Forms

• ill-formedness noun

Etymology

Origin of ill-formed

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

In that role, "The View" is channeling large swaths of the public's thoughts, intuitions and moods – however vague and ill-formed those thoughts and feelings may be.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2023

We’ve learned a lot in a quarter century — none of which appears to be present in the editorial board’s thinking or legislators’ ill-formed bills.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2023

It’s that Chazelle, a director of impressive chops and a writer of often hasty, ill-formed ideas, isn’t strong enough to make those movies breathe as one.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2022

But as a portrait of human connection, “First Cow” is situated within the rugged terrain of capitalism, even the rough and ill-formed variety found 200 years ago in the Pacific Northwest.

From Washington Times • Mar. 5, 2020

In effect, the political institutions and the very authority of the federal government were too new and ill-formed to cope effectively with the foreign and domestic challenges facing the new nation.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis