indefinite

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈdɛfɪnɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #30587

Meanings

1

adj
Without a fixed or known end; lasting for an unknown length of time.

Your account will be suspended for an indefinite period.
2

adj
Not decided, certain, or clearly stated.

They were still indefinite about their travel plans.
3

adj
In grammar, referring to an unspecified person or thing, as with the words 'a' and 'an'.

In English, 'a' and 'an' are the indefinite articles.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · without a fixed or known... unlimited unrestricted

2 adj · not decided, certain, or... vague unsettled unsure

More indistinct

Word family

Forms indefiniteness

Derived forms indefindeffedindefinitelyindefinitenessindefinity

Related forms indeterminate

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

indefinite pronoun
a pronoun that refers to an unspecified person or thing

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Late Latin indēfīnītus. Morphologically in- + definite.

indēfīnītus la-lat

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Language & Linguistics

External links

# indefinite

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈdɛfɪnɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 30587

## Meanings
1. Without a fixed or known end; lasting for an unknown length of time.
2. Not decided, certain, or clearly stated.
3. In grammar, referring to an unspecified person or thing, as with the words 'a' and 'an'.

## Examples
- Your account will be suspended for an indefinite period.
- They were still indefinite about their travel plans.
- In English, 'a' and 'an' are the indefinite articles.

## Synonyms
- indistinct
- vague

## Derived Forms
- indef
- indeffed
- indefinitely
- indefiniteness
- indefinity

## Related Forms
- indeterminate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: indēfīnītus

## Etymology
From Late Latin indēfīnītus. Morphologically in- + definite.

## AI Etymology
Indefinite is from Late Latin indēfīnītus. Morphologically in- + definite. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean without a fixed or known end; lasting for an unknown length of time, or not decided, certain, or clearly stated. Related forms include indeterminate. Derived formations include indef, indeffed, indefinitely, indefiniteness, indefinity.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Language & Linguistics

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