undefined
Americanadjective
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without fixed limits; indefinite in form, extent, or application.
undefined authority; undefined feelings of sadness.
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not given meaning or significance, as by a definition; not defined or explained.
an undefined term.
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Mathematics. having no assigned or determinable value under particular conditions.
Any number divided by zero is undefined.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of undefined
First recorded in 1605–15; un- 1 + define ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
If something is undefined it's not clear, such as your undefined vacation plans. You know you want to go somewhere during the third week of August, but you just don't know where. You can tell just by looking at it that undefined means "not defined." But you might be surprised that the root define comes from the Old French word defenir, meaning "to end, terminate, determine." In this case, define carries the meaning of "determine," but in a sense "end" and "terminate" apply as well. When you define something, that's the end of it — no more wondering. So if something is undefined, it's not yet determined.
Vocabulary lists containing undefined
Fish in a Tree
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #3
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Means to an End: Fin
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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.
Undefined and unconstrained, ALife drives its adherents to repurpose old ideas and generate novelty.
From Scientific American • Apr. 6, 2023
Undefined, un-dē-fīnd′, adj. not defined or explained precisely: indefinite.—v.i.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
This something is the Invisible, the Undefined, almost Unexpressed, and is perhaps the best part of any work of art, as it is of a noble personality.
From Birds and Poets : with Other Papers by Burroughs, John
It will be seen that the Present may express Undefined action or action Going on; so also the Future.
From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)
Until that is done, however, Philosophy of Art must remain a philosophy of the Undefined, and the Undefinable!
From Cobwebs of Thought by Arachne
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.
