indefinite
in·def·i·nite/ɪnˈdɛfɪnɪt/adjective, noun
indefinite is spelled I-N-D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables (in·def·i·nite). It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, indefinite means “Without limit; forever, or until further notice; not definite” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indefinite?
| Letters | 10: I-N-D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: in·def·i·nite |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,896th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is indefinite?
Indefinite appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indefinite?
- /ɪnˈdɛfɪnɪt/
Indefinite has 4 syllables, split in·def·i·nite in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-indefinite.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indefinite
- more indefinite comparative
- most indefinite superlative
- indefinites plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indefinite mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Without limit; forever, or until further notice; not definite.
Your account will be suspended for an indefinite period of time.
- 2
Vague or unclear.
She gave an indefinite answer which nobody really understood.
- 3
Undecided or uncertain.
I'm still indefinite about what I'm going to study at college.
- 4
Being an integral without specified limits.
Don't forget to m the +C when calculating indefinite integrals.
- 5
Designating an unspecified or unidentified person or thing or group of persons or things.
the indefinite article
noun
- 1
A word or phrase that designates an unspecified or unidentified person or thing or group of persons or things.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate indefinite?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of indefinite: indef.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indefinite in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | unbegrenzt, unbestimmt , vage, unklar , unentschieden, unsicher |
| Spanish | indefinido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indefinite come from?
From Late Latin indēfīnītus. Morphologically in- + definite.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).