MEANING
Not clearly specified or fixed in amount, duration, boundaries, or meaning.
Use it for
identifying a conclusion with no clearly specified scope; describing a period whose endpoint has not been fixed; distinguishing an unspecified limit from an infinite oneIdentifies an unspecified amount, limit or duration without asserting that it is infinite. Academic functions: Qualification / Uncertainty, Significance / Scope.
Words that belong together
- an indefinite period
- an indefinite number
- indefinite boundaries
On the page
The agreement permits suspension for an indefinite period rather than requiring a fixed end date.
The concept remains indefinite because the author never states which cases it includes.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- indefinite
Usage notes
Attributive or predicative. No usual -er/-est forms. An indefinite period has no specified endpoint, not necessarily an endless duration. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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