ill-defined
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ill-defined
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
“The role is ill-defined by design,” said Kanekar, whose advisory business has seen a surge of interest from organizations looking to replicate the Palantir model over the past six months.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
According to reports, these include OpenAI going public or achieving artificial general intelligence, a sometimes ill-defined standard of AI capability that more closely matches human-level ability.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
The Sayce review found between 2015 and the summer of 2025 the official Carer's Allowance guidance was "unclear" and "ill-defined" - preventing many carers from properly reporting their earnings.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025
Contract marriages fall into the broader and ill-defined category of unregistered religious unions, which are widespread in many Muslim-majority nations and pose a conundrum to governments — especially when it comes to protecting young girls.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024
They saw themselves as the only true protectors of the Southern way of life—that ill-defined but beloved social order which was under attack from all sides.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
