ill-formed

[ il-fawrmd ]

/ ˈɪlˈfɔrmd /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ill-formed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

badly formed.

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

Nearby words

ill-fated, ill-favored, ill-favoured, ill-fitted, ill-fitting, ill-formed, ill-founded, ill-gotten, ill-gotten gains, ill-informed, ill-intentioned

Origin of ill-formed

First recorded in 1665–75

Related forms

ill-form·ed·ness

[il-fawr-mid-nis, -fawrmd-] /ˈɪlˈfɔr mɪd nɪs, -ˈfɔrmd-/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ill-formed

At first they were ill-formed and imperfect, but subsequently elaborated and developed.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2)|John William Draper
We rode on as fast as the horses could go, without risk of falling over the very rough and ill-formed road.
Hurricane Hurry|W.H.G. Kingston
An ill-formed paper-mill and an artificial mud pond may be said to overthrow the quietude and seclusion of the spot.
Guernsey Pictorial Directory and Stranger's Guide|Thomas Bellamy
It has been too long set aside in the world's opinion (often temporary and ill-formed) to establish the inferior.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 65, No. 400, February, 1849|Various

When conception takes place under confinement, the young are often born dead, or die soon, or are ill-formed.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Volume II (of 2)|Charles Darwin