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# indefinite

«indefinite» in Mova's school dictionary: **Not clear or exact: an indefinite answer** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective

### meaning for a pupil

1) Not clear or exact: an indefinite answer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#m1)

2) Without a fixed end or limit: an indefinite stay. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#m2)

3) (grammar) «indefinite article» = «a» or «an». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In grammar lessons «a» and «an» are indefinite articles and «the» is the definite article; in news something closed «for an indefinite time» means nobody knows when it will open. Phrases: «indefinite article», «for an indefinite period», «indefinitely».

### examples

- The pool is closed for an indefinite time. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x1)
- «A» and «an» are indefinite articles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x2)
- Her plans were indefinite. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x3)
- He went to stay with his aunt for an indefinite period. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x4)
- We say «a cat» because the cat is indefinite — any cat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x5)
- The match was put off indefinitely. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x6)
- Nyx again, on her side was also doubly united, having been married at some indefinite period to Erebus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/#x7)

### note

Prefix in- = not: indefinite = not definite. Adverb: indefinitely (= with no end set). In maths, an «indefinite» number is not given — you cannot work out an exact total without it.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «indefinite» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/indefinite/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.