indefinite

[in-def-uh-nit]

See more synonyms for indefinite on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not definite; without fixed or specified limit; unlimited: an indefinite number.
not clearly defined or determined; not precise or exact: an indefinite boundary; an indefinite date in the future.
Grammar.
1. indefinite article.
2. indefinite pronoun.

Botany.
1. very numerous or not easily counted, as stamens.
2. (of an inflorescence) indeterminate.

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 for indefinite

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

Antonyms for indefinite

1, 2. determinate. 2. clear, specific.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for indefiniteness

cloudiness, uncertainty, obscureness, ambiguity, obscurity, ambiguousness

Examples from the Web for indefiniteness

Historical Examples of indefiniteness

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.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2
John Tyndall
And, as another of the elements of this creation of beauty, there must be indefiniteness. '
Figures of Several Centuries
Arthur Symons
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

not certain or determined; unsettled
without exact limits; indeterminatean indefinite number
vague, evasive, or unclear
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

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).