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indefinite

[in-def-uh-nit]
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adjective
  1. not definite; without fixed or specified limit; unlimited: an indefinite number.
  2. not clearly defined or determined; not precise or exact: an indefinite boundary; an indefinite date in the future.
  3. Grammar.
    1. indefinite article.
    2. indefinite pronoun.
  4. Botany.
    1. very numerous or not easily counted, as stamens.
    2. (of an inflorescence) indeterminate.
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Origin of indefinite

From the Latin word indēfīnītus, dating back to 1520–30. See in-3, definite
Related formsin·def·i·nite·ly, adverbin·def·i·nite·ness, noun

Synonyms

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1. unspecified; indeterminate. 2. imprecise, inexact, indistinct, confusing, vague, uncertain.

Antonyms

1, 2. determinate. 2. clear, specific.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for indefiniteness

Historical Examples

  • In this matter there must be no indefiniteness, no chance for misunderstanding.

    The Leopard Woman

    Stewart Edward White

  • The Jesuit notion does not err on the score of indefiniteness.

  • And, as another of the elements of this creation of beauty, there must be indefiniteness. '

  • For, with all her wealth and power, Joyce often felt this "indefiniteness," as she called it.

    Joyce's Investments

    Fannie E. Newberry

  • He could not be moulded to a clever womans liking, for all his indefiniteness.

    The Dull Miss Archinard

    Anne Douglas Sedgwick

British Dictionary definitions for indefiniteness

indefinite

adjective
  1. not certain or determined; unsettled
  2. without exact limits; indeterminatean indefinite number
  3. vague, evasive, or unclear
  4. Also: indeterminate botany
    1. too numerous to countindefinite stamens
    2. capable of continued growth at the tip of the stem, which does not terminate in a floweran indefinite inflorescence
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Derived Formsindefiniteness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for indefiniteness

indefinite

adj.

early 15c. (implied in indefinitely), from Latin indefinitus, from in- "not, opposite of, without" (see in- (1)) + definitus, past participle of definire (see define).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper