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Showing results for well-defined. Search instead for well-decided.
Synonyms

well-defined

American  
[wel-di-fahynd] / ˈwɛl dɪˈfaɪnd /

adjective

  1. sharply or clearly stated, outlined, described, etc..

    a well-defined character; a well-defined boundary.
well-defined British  

adjective

  1. clearly delineated, described, or determined

"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

Etymology

Origin of well-defined

First recorded in 1695–1705

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.

If Europe’s economic problem is well-defined, the political fix hasn’t been.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Although topology may sound abstract, past theories still depended on the assumption that particles have well-defined motion.

From Science Daily • Jan. 15, 2026

Fortunately Washington recognizes that America’s prosperity depends on enabling technological innovation under fair, well-defined rules.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

Bears worry Apple is falling behind its “Magnificent Seven” peers without a well-defined roadmap to compete.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 9, 2026

This would have led to well-defined thermodynamic and cosmological arrows of time, as we observe.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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.