undetermined

USAGE SUMMARY

"undetermined" is a correct and usable word in written English.
It is an adjective that means not yet determined or settled. Example sentence: The cause of the car accident is still undetermined.

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

It is an important property of Łukasiewicz' three-valued logic that the truth-value of the disjunction of two undetermined propositions is undetermined, i.e., (p ∨ q) is undetermined for p undetermined and q undetermined.

SEP

From an intuitive and common sense point of view, this is not satisfactory, since (F x q ∨ ~F x q) is clearly true, whereas (F x q ∨ F x q) is undetermined, given that F x q is undetermined.

SEP

To be on the safe side, he did the analysis again, including cases where the cause of death was undetermined; even then the number of cases had halved.

The Economist

AFTER three revisions of their original draft resolution, America and Britain were set to win the UN Security Council's blessing for their role as the occupiers and rulers of Iraq until such time, still undetermined, as Iraq has an elected government of its own.

The Economist

In both cases, the full consequences of the year's events are as yet undetermined; all we can say with certainty is that countries such as Libya and Greece have gone through extraordinary change and are likely never to be the same again.But another part of the world can also boast a year of transformative change: South-East Asia.

The Economist

Even if it is undetermined whether his effort will succeed, Kane notes, if the man does succeed, he may well be responsible for breaking the tabletop.

SEP

And others identify a truly free will not with a will that is undetermined, but with one that is determined by reason.

SEP

Under this interpretation there is no formula equivalent to the Ockhamist \ Fp,\) which is regarded as undetermined.

SEP

No matter what kind of character I have developed or what external influences act on me, on Kant's view all of my intentional, voluntary actions are immediate effects of my noumenal self, which is causally undetermined (5:97–98).

SEP

He points out that the joint quantum state of a pair of wholly uncorrelated systems is just as undetermined by their individual (mixed) states as is the joint state of a pair of entangled systems in the same mixed states.

SEP

As Earman (1995, pp. 65-6) charactheizes the worry, nothing would seem to stop the singularity from "disgorging" any manner of unpleasant jetsam, from TVs showing Nixon's Checkers Speech to old lost socks, in a way completely undetermined by the state of spacetime in any region whatsoever, and in such a way as to render strictly indeterminable all regions in causal contact with what it spews out.

SEP

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "undetermined" when you want to emphasize that a decision or outcome is not yet fixed and may change in the future. It adds a layer of anticipation or uncertainty to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "undetermined" and "indeterminate" interchangeably. While related, "indeterminate" implies a lack of clear boundaries or limits, whereas "undetermined" simply means not yet decided or established.

Linguistic Context

The word "undetermined" functions primarily as an adjective. It modifies nouns to indicate that something is not yet decided, resolved, or established. Ludwig AI shows frequent usage across scientific, news, and business contexts, reinforcing its role in describing states of uncertainty or pending decisions.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

42%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

25%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "undetermined" functions as an adjective used to indicate that something is not yet decided or resolved. Ludwig AI analysis confirms its grammatical correctness and widespread usage across diverse contexts, including science, news, and formal business settings. While related to terms like "indeterminate", it carries a distinct nuance, emphasizing a lack of finality rather than a lack of clear boundaries. Effective writing involves using "undetermined" to convey a sense of uncertainty or pending resolution, while avoiding confusion with similar terms and adapting the formality to suit the audience.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

not determined

This is a direct synonym, simply negating the state of being determined.

uncertain

This highlights the lack of clarity or predictability, focusing on the doubt surrounding a situation or outcome.

not yet decided

This phrase is a more explicit way of saying something hasn't been decided, emphasizing the active process of decision-making.

to be determined

This future-oriented phrase indicates that a determination will be made at a later point.

unresolved

This term emphasizes the lack of a solution or conclusion, suggesting a problem or question that remains open.

pending

This indicates that a decision or outcome is waiting to be finalized, implying a temporary state of suspension.

indefinite

This term suggests a lack of specific limits or boundaries, often referring to time or duration.

open to question

This implies that something is debatable or not yet definitively proven.

subject to change

This indicates that something is liable to be altered or modified in the future.

up in the air

This idiom vividly conveys the sense of uncertainty and lack of resolution.

FAQs

How can I use "undetermined" in a sentence?

You can use "undetermined" to describe something that is not yet decided or settled, such as, "The future of the project remains "undetermined"."

What's the difference between "undetermined" and "undefined"?

"Undetermined" suggests a decision hasn't been made yet, while "undefined" implies a lack of clarity or precision in meaning or scope. For example, a role may be "undetermined" (a person hasn't been selected), while the requirements for that role may be "undefined" (the job description is unclear).

What are some alternatives to using the word "undetermined"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives like "uncertain", "pending", or "unresolved".

Is it more appropriate to say "undetermined" or "undecided"?

Both are correct, but "undetermined" is often used in more formal contexts, while "undecided" is generally more common in everyday conversation. The best choice depends on the tone and audience.