as in indefinite
formal
not able to be stated or described in an exact way
a man of indeterminate age an indeterminate number of people
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Recent Examples of indeterminate
Under those statutes, offenders who were under 26 at the time of the crime and given indeterminate prison sentences of more than 25 years to life are eligible for a parole hearing in their 25th year of incarceration, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
After an indeterminate amount of time, the man leaned closer to me.
—Meg Pillow
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
An indeterminate tomato plant will keep growing until the first frost (or you) kills it.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 July 2025
Under a 1988 state law, California’s governor has a unique power to approve, deny, or modify the decisions of the parole board in murder cases where the person was sentenced to an indeterminate term.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for indeterminate
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
After an indeterminate amount of time, the man leaned closer to me.
—Meg Pillow
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
An indeterminate tomato plant will keep growing until the first frost (or you) kills it.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 July 2025
Under a 1988 state law, California’s governor has a unique power to approve, deny, or modify the decisions of the parole board in murder cases where the person was sentenced to an indeterminate term.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for indeterminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indeterminate
Adjective
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After production resumed, Unifor said the plant would operate on a single shift for the foreseeable future — a reduction expected to result in the indefinite layoff of nearly 500 workers.—
Jackie Charniga,
Freep.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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An indefinite curfew was put in place in the capital and Tribhuvan Airport has been shut down, with all flights cancelled.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The approximate number of Americans who died fighting the Nazis in World War II.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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The map above shows the evacuation area in red and the approximate fire perimeter as a black line.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indeterminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indeterminate. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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