indeterminateness
|in-de-ter-mi-nate-ness|
🇺🇸
/ˌɪndɪˈtɝmɪnətnəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɪndɪˈtɜːmɪnətnəs/
not fixed or precisely determined
Etymology
'indeterminateness' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'indeterminatus', where the prefix 'in-' meant 'not' and 'determinatus' comes from 'determinare' meaning 'to bound or set limits'.
'indeterminateness' changed from the Late Latin/Medieval Latin adjective 'indeterminatus' and the Middle English/early modern formation using the adjective 'indeterminate' plus the nominalizing suffix '-ness', eventually becoming the modern English noun 'indeterminateness'.
Initially, components expressed 'not bounded' or 'not set'; over time the composite term came to mean more generally 'the state of being not precisely determined' or 'vagueness/unresolvability', which is its current usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being indeterminate; not clearly fixed, defined, or determined (vagueness or lack of precision).
The indeterminateness of the report made it difficult to plan next steps.
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Noun 2
a condition in which a value, outcome, or boundary cannot be precisely determined (used in philosophy, mathematics, and science).
Philosophers discussed the indeterminateness of certain quantum phenomena.
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Noun 3
the absence of a fixed outcome or decision in policy, law, or social situations (practical unpredictability or contingency).
Market reactions reflected the indeterminateness of the new regulation.
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Last updated: 2025/12/25 00:55