If you describe a situation or period as indefinite, you mean that people have not decided when it will end.
The trial was adjourned for an indefinite period.
...an indefinite strike by government workers.
Synonyms: uncertain, general, vague, unclear More Synonyms of indefinite
2. adjective
Something that is indefinite is not exact or clear.
...at some indefinite time in the future.
...a handsome woman of indefinite age.
Synonyms: unclear, unknown, uncertain, obscure More Synonyms of indefinite
indefinite in British English
(ɪnˈdɛfɪnɪt)
adjective
1.
not certain or determined; unsettled
2.
without exact limits; indeterminate
an indefinite number
3.
vague, evasive, or unclear
4. Also: indeterminate botany
a.
too numerous to count
indefinite stamens
b.
capable of continued growth at the tip of the stem, which does not terminate in a flower
an indefinite inflorescence
Derived forms
indefiniteness (inˈdefiniteness)
noun
indefinite in American English
(ɪnˈdɛfənɪt)
adjective
not definite
; specif.,
a.
having no exact limits or having no limits at all
b.
not precise or clear in meaning; vague
c.
not sharp or clear in outline; blurred; indistinct
d.
not sure or positive; uncertain
e. Botany
of no fixed number, or too many to count
said of the stamens, etc. of certain flowers
f. Grammar
not limiting or specifying; not referring to a specific or previously identified person, thing, etc.
“a” and “an” are indefinite articles; “any” is an indefinite pronoun
Derived forms
indefinitely (inˈdefinitely)
adverb
indefiniteness (inˈdefiniteness)
noun
Word origin
L indefinitus
Examples of 'indefinite' in a sentence
indefinite
They would then have the opportunity to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
After five years she would have been able to apply for indefinite leave to remain but she wassent back to Bangladesh.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But after jumping through a lot of hoops, she got a visa giving her indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She was granted a visa on the basis of her marriage, entered the UK lawfully and was subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The indefinite sentence means that she must serve at least five years before her case is reviewed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
More than two thirds of those who are awarded it receive it for an indefinite period.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Opposition leaders have called an indefinite general strike and demanded early presidential elections.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
All received indefinite sentences and must serve a minimum of five years.
The Sun (2007)
In such positions they can also stay in office for an indefinite period of time.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
It also called for an indefinite general strike.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
His wife was apparently reconciled to his going away to an unknown destination for an indefinite period.
Adam Sisman The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge (2006)
It seems improbable that they would be offered work permits or simply be given indefinite leave to remain.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The thought that this is now our lives for the indefinite future is almost too much to bear.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
She got indefinite leave to stay.
The Sun (2006)
That is why you should be suspicious of any investment proposal that predicts a stream of economic rents into the indefinite future.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
Currently, migrant workers are automatically given indefinite leave to remain after five years.
The Sun (2008)
The musicians flew back, but are twiddling their thumbs on indefinite leave as they have no instruments.
The Sun (2007)
She was given an indefinite sentence for her part in that atrocious crime, yet has been deemed fit for release.
The Sun (2013)
He was on licence from prison at the time, having been released from his indefinite sentence just four months earlier.
The Sun (2011)
Sentence increased to indefinite terms.
The Sun (2016)
That can be no surprise if a third of their unmarried accommodation continues to be of the poorest quality, into the indefinite future.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
JUNIOR doctors need to take a step back before launching a wave of indefinite strikes, union bosses warned yesterday.
The Sun (2016)
A failure to do so would leave Britain with huge budget deficits stretching into the indefinite future and a legacy of rising debt for future generations.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But there is a bigger IF because of the impending indefinite strike in Spanish football.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
indefinite
British English: indefinite ADJECTIVE
If you describe a situation or period as indefinite, you mean that people have not decided when it will end.
The trial was adjourned for an indefinite period.
American English: indefinite
Brazilian Portuguese: indefinido
Chinese: 不确定的
European Spanish: indefinido
French: indéfini
German: unbestimmt
Italian: indefinito
Japanese: 無期限の
Korean: 무기한의
European Portuguese: indefinido
Latin American Spanish: indefinido
1 (adjective)
Definition
without exact limits
The trial was adjourned for an indefinite period.
Synonyms
uncertain
general
chemicals called by the general description `flavour enhancer'
vague
He could just make out a vague shape in the distance.
unclear
unsettled
loose
We came to some sort of loose arrangement before he went home.
unlimited
evasive
indeterminate
imprecise
The charges were vague and imprecise.
undefined
a strict guarantee to hold prices for an undefined period
equivocal
Her equivocal response gave nothing away.
ill-defined
indistinct
undetermined
inexact
Forecasting was an inexact science.
unfixed
oracular
Opposites
settled
2 (adjective)
Definition
vague or unclear
a person of indefinite age
Synonyms
unclear
It is unclear how much popular support they have.
unknown
uncertain
Students all over the country are facing an uncertain future.
obscure
The hills were just an obscure shape in the mist.
doubtful
It seemed doubtful that he would move at all.
ambiguous
His remarks clarify an ambiguous statement given earlier this week.
indeterminate
I hope to carry on for an indeterminate period.
imprecise
undefined
ill-defined
staff with ill-defined responsibilities
indistinct
The lettering is fuzzy and indistinct.
undetermined
inexact
unfixed
Opposites
clear
,
certain
,
fixed
,
specific
,
exact
,
distinct
,
definite
,
determinate
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ambiguous
Definition
having more than one possible interpretation
His remarks clarify an ambiguous statement given earlier this week.
Synonyms
unclear,
puzzling,
uncertain,
obscure,
vague,
doubtful,
dubious,
enigmatic,
indefinite,
inconclusive,
cryptic,
indeterminate,
equivocal,
Delphic,
oracular,
enigmatical,
clear as mud (informal)
in the sense of doubtful
Definition
unlikely or improbable
It seemed doubtful that he would move at all.
Synonyms
unlikely,
unclear,
dubious,
unsettled,
dodgy (British, Australian, New Zealand, informal),