ill-defined
adjective
: not easy to see or understand
The property's borders are ill-defined.
an ill-defined mission
Examples of ill-defined in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, when intentions were ill-defined or assumed (sometimes based on hegemonic, often Christian, power dynamics), conversations about religious differences devolved from uncomfortable to hostile and even harmful.
—
Matthew Mayhew, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Worn with the wrong pieces, the look can seem messy or ill-defined.
—René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 17 June 2025
The choices facing Matty and Olympia at the end of the finale seemed ill-defined, as did the stakes.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
Instead, voters are being asked to approve Measure A, which would empower the county Board of Supervisors, by a four-fifths vote, to remove Corpus from office for any of five different broad and ill-defined reasons.
—Mercury News Editorial, The Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2025
Likewise, Gascón felt that Emilia’s sexuality was ill-defined.
—Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2025
As for setting a more realistic timeline, Levine Cava wrote that the plan was still too ill-defined to say.
—Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
That's particularly true now that the Supreme Court has scrapped a decades-old legal doctrine that gave the FDA, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other health agencies the discretion to interpret vague or ill-defined laws.
—Tina Reed, Axios, 16 Dec. 2024
Because this doctrine is so ill-defined, a lawyer can only guess at whether this Court will apply it to the Trump administration at all, or specifically to Trump’s tariff policies.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Matthew Mayhew, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Worn with the wrong pieces, the look can seem messy or ill-defined.
—René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 17 June 2025
The choices facing Matty and Olympia at the end of the finale seemed ill-defined, as did the stakes.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
Instead, voters are being asked to approve Measure A, which would empower the county Board of Supervisors, by a four-fifths vote, to remove Corpus from office for any of five different broad and ill-defined reasons.
—Mercury News Editorial, The Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2025
Likewise, Gascón felt that Emilia’s sexuality was ill-defined.
—Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2025
As for setting a more realistic timeline, Levine Cava wrote that the plan was still too ill-defined to say.
—Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
That's particularly true now that the Supreme Court has scrapped a decades-old legal doctrine that gave the FDA, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other health agencies the discretion to interpret vague or ill-defined laws.
—Tina Reed, Axios, 16 Dec. 2024
Because this doctrine is so ill-defined, a lawyer can only guess at whether this Court will apply it to the Trump administration at all, or specifically to Trump’s tariff policies.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Ill-defined.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill-defined. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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