indeterminate

[ in-di-tur-muh-nit ]
See synonyms for indeterminate on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not determinate; not precisely fixed in extent; indefinite; uncertain.

  2. not clear; vague.

  1. not established.

  2. not settled or decided.

  3. Mathematics.

    • (of a quantity) undefined, as 0/0.

    • (of an equation) able to be satisfied by more than one value for each unknown.

  4. Botany. (of an inflorescence) having the axis or axes not ending in a flower or bud, thus allowing further elongation.

noun
  1. Mathematics. something whose value is not specified: used especially in abstract algebra; a variable.

Origin of indeterminate

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word indēterminātus.See in-3, determinate

Other words for indeterminate

Other words from indeterminate

  • in·de·ter·mi·nate·ly, adverb
  • in·de·ter·mi·nate·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use indeterminate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indeterminate

indeterminate

/ (ˌɪndɪˈtɜːmɪnɪt) /


adjective
  1. uncertain in extent, amount, or nature

  2. not definite; inconclusive: an indeterminate reply

  1. unable to be predicted, calculated, or deduced

  2. physics (of an effect) not obeying the law of causality; noncausal

  3. maths

    • having no numerical meaning, as 0.00 or 0/0

    • (of an equation) having more than one variable and an unlimited number of solutions

  4. botany another word for indefinite (def. 4)

  5. (of a structure, framework, etc) comprising forces that cannot be fully analysed, esp by vector analysis

Derived forms of indeterminate

  • indeterminacy, indetermination or indeterminateness, noun
  • indeterminately, adverb

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

Scientific definitions for indeterminate

indeterminate

[ ĭn′dĭ-tûrmə-nĭt ]


  1. Continuing to grow at the apical meristem or the terminal bud indefinitely, allowing for the development of an ever-increasing number of plant organs such as leaves, stems, or flowers to the side.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.