When you determine something, you decide on what it is, which means you put limits or boundaries on its identity. So something indeterminate lacks identifying limits. A mutt is usually …

If law is indeterminate, then judges are unconstrained by law in their decision-making.

INDETERMINATE definition: not determinate; not precisely fixed in extent; indefinite; uncertain. See examples of indeterminate used in a sentence.

If something is indeterminate, you cannot say exactly what it is. Dr Amid was a man of indeterminate age. I hope to carry on for an indeterminate period.

Definition of indeterminate adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Dec 26, 2025 · Adjective indeterminate (comparative more indeterminate, superlative most indeterminate) Not accurately determined or determinable.

Indeterminate means not known or decided. When someone contracts a rare stomach parasite but has not been traveling internationally, you might say it had indeterminate origins. It's …

In general, the term indeterminate refers to something that is uncertain, not fixed, or not capable of being determined. It implies that there is a lack of clarity or precision, and that the outcome …

indeterminate adjective uncertain, indefinite, unspecified, vague, inconclusive, imprecise, undefined, undetermined, inexact, unfixed, unstipulated I hope to carry on for an indeterminate …

There are nine meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective indeterminate, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.