indeterminate
not determinate; not precisely fixed in extent; indefinite; uncertain.
not clear; vague.
not established.
not settled or decided.
Mathematics.
(of a quantity) undefined, as 0/0.
(of an equation) able to be satisfied by more than one value for each unknown.
Botany. (of an inflorescence) having the axis or axes not ending in a flower or bud, thus allowing further elongation.
Mathematics. something whose value is not specified: used especially in abstract algebra; a variable.
Origin of indeterminate
1Other words for indeterminate
Other words from indeterminate
- in·de·ter·mi·nate·ly, adverb
- in·de·ter·mi·nate·ness, noun
Words Nearby indeterminate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use indeterminate in a sentence
The indeterminate category of sudden liver failure has been known for some time, Peters says, and that subset of cases has similarities to the hepatitis under investigation.
Unexplained hepatitis cases in kids offer more questions than answers | Aimee Cunningham | May 19, 2022 | Science NewsAn estimated 500 to 600 cases occur each year in the United States, and around 30 percent of those are “indeterminate,” meaning a cause isn’t found, according to the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
Unexplained hepatitis cases in kids offer more questions than answers | Aimee Cunningham | May 19, 2022 | Science NewsA legend in Los Angeles cycling circles, Shirtless Keith is a burly man of indeterminate age who rides around hilly Palos Verdes wearing work boots, denim cutoffs, and no shirt.
They would get a negative result or indeterminate result from tests that detect N protein antibodies.
As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we answer 7 lingering vaccine questions | Tina Hesman Saey | May 11, 2021 | Science NewsCounting down the moments they have left with Abdullah, always an indeterminate amount.
Al Jazeera Journo Abdullah El-Shamy Goes On Hunger Strike In Egyptian Jail | Jonathan Krohn | March 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Some gospel music, like Blind Willie Johnson's, chronicles an indeterminate journey to an unknown destination.
Leaps of Faith: Wrestling With Uncertainty and Finding Grace Through the Music of Hiss Golden Messenger | Howard Wolfson | March 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFirst, Troy depicts the cemetery as having indeterminate and ever-shifting borders.
Rashid Khalidi Responds to Avra Shapiro and Gil Troy | Rashid Khalidi | April 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTBefore that its landscape had been indeterminate—there were even strips where the Kat goes to sea.
Monument Valley From the Eyes of a Krazy Kat and John Ford Fan | Malcolm Jones | February 3, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTPrecisely who would bear the brunt of $400 billion in proposed cuts in military spending was left indeterminate.
I had wondered at that indeterminate quotient in my sums, where the same figure came, always the same, running on and on.
The Way of a Man | Emerson HoughFull of whims and fancies, unstable, indeterminate, he was swayed by every passing emotion and influence.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow PaineLike the Board of Guardians, it is a most useful body; but its influence upon village life is indirect and indeterminate.
The Hills and the Vale | Richard JefferiesShe found the word indicating to whom degrees should be granted indeterminate, with no character of sex attached to it.
The College, the Market, and the Court | Caroline H. DallMatter in a more general sense is the indeterminate, the indefinite and the potential.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy | Isaac Husik
British Dictionary definitions for indeterminate
/ (ˌɪndɪˈtɜːmɪnɪt) /
uncertain in extent, amount, or nature
not definite; inconclusive: an indeterminate reply
unable to be predicted, calculated, or deduced
physics (of an effect) not obeying the law of causality; noncausal
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
botany another word for indefinite (def. 4)
(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
[ ĭn′dĭ-tûr′mə-nĭt ]
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.
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