amorphous

adjective amor·phous \ ə-ˈmȯr-fəs \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of amorphous

1 a : having no definite form : shapeless

an amorphous cloud mass

b : being without definite character or nature : unclassifiable

an amorphous segment of society

c : lacking organization or unity

an amorphous style of writing

2 : having no real or apparent crystalline form

an amorphous mineral

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amorphously

adverb

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amorphousness

noun

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Examples of amorphous in a Sentence

Astronomers think our solar system took shape when an amorphous interstellar cloud of dust and gas collapsed under its own weight. The conservation of angular momentum, or spin, kept some of the material from simply falling all the way to the newborn sun; instead it settled into a pancake shape. —Michael W. Werner et al., Scientific American, June 2009
Most library and academic accrediting associations either ignore weeding or have general, rather amorphous, standards. Among the more specific standards are those of the American Library Associations' 1967 public library systems standards, which suggest annual weeding of at least 5 percent of "community collections," with headquarters libraries weeding more cautiously … —LJ Special Report, 1990
A quarter of a century ago, author Betty Friedan stumbled upon a "problem that has no name."" Middle-class American women were prisoners of gilded cages, she argued, unfulfilled by their exclusive roles as wives and mother. Friedan gave the amorphous problem, and the book that described it, a name—"The Feminine Mystique"—and with it helped launch one of the most transforming social movements in modern history." —Eloise Salholz et al., Newsweek, 31 Mar. 1986
Oblivious to all the attention, the big cat calmly sashayed to a concave little hollow scooped out of an artificial granite cliff-side at the rear of her cage. There, her four sleeping, newborn cubs were nestled one atop another so tightly that they formed one amorphous lump of fur. —Jon Luoma, Audubon, November l982
an amorphous segment of society
amorphous lumps of clay magically transformed by a skilled potter's hands into works of art

Recent Examples of amorphous from the Web

Party building is an amorphous term that can mean general recruiting and educating but can also refer to more direct, specific activity.

— alexandra stevenson, New York Times, "China’s Communists Rewrite the Rules for Foreign Businesses," 13 Apr. 2018
The Japanese design studio created a series of hourglasses whose amorphous chambers and passageways play with your perception of time, while literally changing the speed and angle of the flow of sand.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "What time is it?," 29 Mar. 2018
In another, Amy Resnick blows a hole within an amorphous bubble — a real effect created with the help of a massive bubble wand.

— brandon yu, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Ghost Light’ illuminates faces of Bay Area theater," 27 Feb. 2018
The inevitable Europe of 1989 and 2003 has been betrayed by some amorphous spirit of narrowness, opportunism and malice.

— michael kimmage, New Republic, "What Happened to the European Union?," 8 Jan. 2018
Cohen emerged from the world of broadcast journalism, a field that's increasingly amorphous.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "How Andy Cohen Became Famous Enough To End Up On Riverdale," 22 Mar. 2018
Researchers tried quite a few different ways to stick a tag on amorphous, fragile jelly.

— james gorman, New York Times, "The Ruthless Phronima, and Other Hidden Wonders of the Sea," 22 Mar. 2018
At this point, the big picture is amorphous, but the pool of potentially available talent has largely settled.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Draft Big Board 5:0: Marvin Bagley III's Big Talent Is Worth the Bet," 20 Mar. 2018
Then there is the fact that discontent toward Trump -- among Republicans -- remains somewhat amorphous at the moment.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Jeff Flake isn't beating Donald Trump in 2020. Still ...," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amorphous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.