undefined
Americanadjective
-
without fixed limits; indefinite in form, extent, or application.
undefined authority; undefined feelings of sadness.
-
not given meaning or significance, as by a definition; not defined or explained.
an undefined term.
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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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, at first, she confessed it was; but a vague idea was flitting through her mind, of persuading the owner to give back Rose Cottage to its former occupants.
From Cora and The Doctor or Revelations of A Physician's Wife by Leslie, Madeline
Undefined as it was, she had smelt it before, and not long since!—It was the smell of the lost chapel!—But that was at home in the castle! she had left it two days before!
From Donal Grant, by George MacDonald by MacDonald, George
Grieved at first, but grieved not long, Sweet—how softly sweet!—it came; Wild words of an ancient song, Undefined, without a name.
From Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell by Brontë, Charlotte
Undefined and undivulged, it belongs only to those who have some original strength of imagination or will, and with them it cannot go wrong.
From Epic and Romance Essays on Medieval Literature by Ker, W. P.
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.
