What does "indeterminate" mean?
A symbol that resembles a variable or parameter but is used purely formally and neither signifies nor is ever assigned a particular value;
Indeterminate
/ɪndɪˈtɜː(ɹ)mɪnət/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A symbol that resembles a variable or parameter but is used purely formally and neither signifies nor is ever assigned a particular value;
- Grammar: indeterminate is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: undetermined, abstract, accidental, adventitious.
- Useful contrasts: determinate, accurate, apodeictic.
- Usage evidence: The results of the study are indeterminate.
How to use "indeterminate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "indeterminate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "indeterminate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "indeterminate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "indeterminate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "indeterminate" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "undetermined" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "indeterminate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A symbol that resembles a variable or parameter but is used purely formally and neither signifies nor is ever assigned a particular value; strict-sense
"1862, H. J. Stephen Smith, Report on the Theory of Numbers—Part III, Report of the 31st Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, British Association for the Advancement of Science, page 292, The form is linear, quadratic, cubic, biquadratic or quartic, quintic, &c., according to its order in respect of the indeterminates it contains; and binary, ternary, quaternary, &c., according to the number of its indeterminates. Thus x²+y² is a binary quadratic form, x³+y³+z³-3xyz is a ternary cubic form."
- 2 A symbol that resembles a variable or parameter but is used purely formally and neither signifies nor is ever assigned a particular value; (loose sense) a variable.; a variable. strict-sense
Adjective
- 1 Not accurately determined or determinable.
"Four miles to the east of Warmington, the River Cherwell flows into Cropredy under a bridge that in 1644 was the scene of another Civil War battle - with an equally indeterminate result."
- 2 Imprecise or vague.
- 3 Not definitively or precisely determined, because of the presence of infinity or zero symbols used in any of several improper combinations.
- 4 With no genetically defined end, and thus theoretically limitless.
- 5 Not topped with some form of terminal bud.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Intersex.
- 7 Designed to allow the incorporation of future changes whose nature is not yet known.
"It bears an affinity to the problem of indeterminate architecture—the indeterminate residential area."
Adjective
- 1 not leading to a definite ending or result wordnet
- 2 (of a quantity) having no definite value, as an equation that cannot be solved wordnet
- 3 not precisely determined or established; not fixed or known in advance wordnet
- 4 having a capacity for continuing to grow at the apex wordnet
- 5 of uncertain or ambiguous nature wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"The results of the study are indeterminate."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "indeterminate"?
Common synonyms include: undetermined, abstract, accidental, adventitious, aleatoric, aleatory.
How do you use "indeterminate" in a sentence?
The results of the study are indeterminate.
How do you pronounce "indeterminate"?
Pronounced /ɪndɪˈtɜː(ɹ)mɪnət/.