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ill-formed

[ il-fawrmd ]
/ ˈɪlˈfɔrmd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ill-formed

adjective

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

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Origin of ill-formed

First recorded in 1665–75

OTHER WORDS FROM ill-formed

ill-form·ed·ness [il-fawr-mid-nis, -fawrmd-], /ˈɪlˈfɔr mɪd nɪs, -ˈfɔrmd-/, noun

Words nearby ill-formed

ill-favored, ill-favoured, ill feeling, ill-fitted, ill-fitting, ill-formed, ill-founded, ill-gotten, ill-gotten gains, ill humor, ill humour
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ill-formed

deformed, unmade, mutilated, disfigured, abnormal, amorphous, anomalous, baggy, embryonic, inchoate, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, invisible, irregular, malformed, misshapen, nebulous, undeveloped, unformed

Example sentences from the Web for ill-formed