amorphous

adjective

amor·phous | \ ə-ˈmȯr-fəs

Definition of amorphous

1a : 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

Other Words from amorphous Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about amorphous

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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 on the Web

Ssion, the wonderfully chaotic project of visual artist and musician Cody Critcheloe, has been amorphous from the start. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Ssion on His New Album O and His Absurdist, Sequin-Filled Sense of Style," 2 July 2018 Nor is this to suggest that the Singapore summit was a failure: if minimal and a little amorphous, the goodwill gestures seem real. — David Volodzko, The New Republic, "The Corporate Gangs Who Could Profit From Trade With North Korea," 26 June 2018 But unfortunately the membership in a particular social group is completely amorphous. — Fox News, "Woolsey: Trump keeps the North Koreans off balance," 12 June 2018 Mike Pence's top job: 'Be prepared' Pence’s portfolio is far-reaching, yet amorphous and unclear, Brower says. — Maureen Groppe, Indianapolis Star, "Why Mike Pence's selection as VP was seen as a reward for his faithfulness and other revelations in new book," 12 June 2018 The two-dimensional screens compose a visual field corresponding to the amorphous white space through which the dancers move. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "'Made in L.A. 2018': Why the Hammer biennial is the right show for disturbing times," 5 June 2018 At least two of them—an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie and a Boba Fett movie—would be like Solo, prequels set in an amorphous time period before Lucas’s original films. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "With Solo, Has Star Wars Fatigue Set In?," 29 May 2018 China’s options for countering such amorphous efforts are not straightforward. — The Economist, "A threatened trade war between China and America may be on hold," 24 May 2018 An initial blast singes the material to create amorphous carbon, or soot. — Prachi Patel, Scientific American, "The Quirkier Uses of Graphene," 16 May 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.