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
Nothing was said or done in the roughly 35 minutes the candidates devoted to themselves that seemed likely to change the dynamic or trajectory of a race that remains stubbornly ill-defined and, to an unprecedented degree in modern times, wide open.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Nothing was said or done in the roughly 35 minutes the candidates devoted to themselves that seemed likely to change the dynamic or trajectory of a race that remains stubbornly ill-defined and, to an unprecedented degree in modern times, wide open.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
His strategy for dealing with China is also very ill-defined.
—Michael McFaul, Wired News, 31 Dec. 2025
Their relationship, however, is complicated and ill-defined.
—Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
The campaign has even drawn criticism from advocates of the War on Terror, a similarly sprawling and ill-defined military campaign that stretched the limits of executive power.
—Richard Hall, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
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
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Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Nothing was said or done in the roughly 35 minutes the candidates devoted to themselves that seemed likely to change the dynamic or trajectory of a race that remains stubbornly ill-defined and, to an unprecedented degree in modern times, wide open.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
His strategy for dealing with China is also very ill-defined.
—Michael McFaul, Wired News, 31 Dec. 2025
Their relationship, however, is complicated and ill-defined.
—Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
The campaign has even drawn criticism from advocates of the War on Terror, a similarly sprawling and ill-defined military campaign that stretched the limits of executive power.
—Richard Hall, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Ill-defined.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill-defined. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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