insufficiently defined

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "insufficiently defined" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to describe something as not having enough details or parameters outlined. For example, "The terms of the agreement were insufficiently defined, causing confusion for both parties involved."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

18 human-written examples

The effect of different LDLR mutations on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk is insufficiently defined.

Atherosclerosis

The construct of aggressivity is insufficiently defined, resulting in difficulties to interpret empirical data.

Psychiatry Research

That is to say, the current experimental procedures are ill contrived or insufficiently defined.

Ocean Engineering

Permeability increased with air void content and nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS); however, the effect of gradation was not conclusive as the primary control sieve point insufficiently defined gradation coarseness.

Construction and Building Materials

The architecture and mechanics of an orogen can be understood in terms of a system of collages that are characterized by a complex assemblage of multiple components, but the fundamental paleogeographic framework and the tectonic relationships between the different components are often insufficiently defined, because of unavailable data.

Earth-Science Reviews

The imperial government's conception of both Russianness and Polishness remained insufficiently defined.

Johns Hopkins University

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

42 human-written examples

Thus, although guidelines give attention to treatment of CKD- bone and mineral disease, and although treatment targets are well defined, physicians are insufficiently aware of the importance of adequate treatment of hyperparathyroidism: our data point to therapeutic inertia towards the PTH treatment target.

BMC Nephrology

Thus, the participants assigned to the low PA level were defined as "sedentary or insufficiently active during their leisure-time", i.e., they performed no PA or did not meet the minimum recommendations for PA to have a health benefit.

BMC Public Health

Considering the boundaries defined in the methods section, our meta-analysis was insufficiently powered to detect an increase in treatment success with a 5% alpha error limit (information size required 1,895 patients).

Critical Care

Impulses can be defined as high-level schematic representations of action which, if insufficiently opposed, trigger execution of action (e.g., Michie & West, 2013).

Health Psychology Review

Plots designated as outliers are distinctive in their composition and insufficiently replicated across the dataset in question to allow a cluster to be defined (De Cáceres et al. 2010); in our example these plots are too dissimilar to be assigned to any associations or alliances defined using the national New Zealand dataset (Wiser and De Cáceres 2013).

Forest Ecosystems

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "insufficiently defined", ensure that you provide context or suggest possible improvements for clarity. For instance, instead of just stating that a concept is "insufficiently defined", elaborate on which aspects require further specification.

Common error

Avoid using "insufficiently defined" excessively in formal writing without providing concrete examples of the ambiguity. Overusing such phrases without backing them up with specific details can weaken your argument.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "insufficiently defined" functions as an adjective phrase, modifying a noun to indicate that the noun lacks adequate clarity or specification. As Ludwig AI points out, it's used to point out a deficiency in the definition of something.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

65%

News & Media

20%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "insufficiently defined" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression to indicate a lack of clarity or precision in a concept, term, or procedure. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's suitable for formal writing, particularly in academic, scientific, and professional contexts. When using this phrase, ensure you provide context and specific examples to strengthen your critique. While alternatives like "poorly defined" or "vaguely defined" exist, the best choice depends on the specific nuance you intend to convey. The phrase appears frequently in authoritative sources like ScienceDirect and journals published by Johns Hopkins University.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

poorly defined

Replaces "insufficiently" with "poorly", focusing on the quality of the definition rather than the quantity.

vaguely defined

Emphasizes the lack of clarity in the definition.

inadequately defined

Uses a different adverb to express a similar lack of sufficiency.

imprecisely defined

Highlights the lack of precision in the definition.

ambiguously defined

Focuses on the potential for multiple interpretations due to the lack of a clear definition.

not clearly defined

Uses a more explicit phrasing to state the lack of clarity.

lacking a clear definition

Shifts the structure to emphasize the absence of a proper definition.

definition is lacking

Rearranges the sentence structure to emphasize the deficiency in definition.

not well-defined

Uses a hyphenated adjective to convey the same meaning.

nebulously defined

Indicates that the definition is hazy or unclear.

FAQs

How can I use "insufficiently defined" in a sentence?

You can use "insufficiently defined" to describe concepts, terms, or procedures that lack clarity or precision. For example, "The project requirements were "insufficiently defined", leading to confusion among team members."

What are some alternatives to "insufficiently defined"?

Alternatives to "insufficiently defined" include "poorly defined", "vaguely defined", or "inadequately defined". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "poorly defined" or "insufficiently defined"?

Both "poorly defined" and "insufficiently defined" are acceptable, but they carry slightly different connotations. "Poorly defined" suggests the definition is of low quality, while "insufficiently defined" suggests there is a lack of detail or specification. Choose the phrase that best reflects the nature of the problem.

What does it mean when something is "insufficiently defined"?

When something is "insufficiently defined", it means that it lacks the necessary details or parameters to be clearly understood or applied. This can lead to misunderstandings, errors, or inefficiencies.