What does indeterminable mean?
Indeterminable is an adjective meaning impossible to determine or establish with certainty. It is stronger and more formal than saying that something is merely unknown: an indeterminable matter is one for which available evidence, inherent features, or other limitations may prevent a conclusive answer altogether. The word commonly describes causes, origins, values, consequences, or outcomes that cannot be fixed precisely. For example, a scholar may conclude that an artifact's precise date is indeterminable because its physical evidence does not support a reliable narrower conclusion. Although similar in appearance to indeterminate, indeterminable focuses on the impossibility of determination rather than on a lack of specification. The distinction is useful in precise writing because it distinguishes an inherently unresolved question from one that is merely awaiting investigation. Indeterminable is most appropriate in formal contexts and is especially associated with legal, scientific, historical, and philosophical discourse.
adjectiveImpossible to determine, establish, or find out with certainty. It describes something whose nature, cause, value, or outcome cannot be conclusively established.
- Impossible to determine, establish, or find out with certainty.
"The precise origin of the manuscript remains indeterminable despite years of scholarly investigation."
"The exact age of the manuscript is indeterminable from the surviving evidence."
"The commission concluded that the source of the contamination was indeterminable."
Indeterminable is more than simply unknown: it describes a question for which the available facts may never permit a conclusive answer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does indeterminable come from?
Indeterminable developed from the Latin adjective indeterminabilis, meaning “not determinable” or “unable to be determined.” Its English form combines the negative Latin prefix in- with determinable, a word based on the Latin determinare, “to determine” or “set bounds.” Related cognates include French indéterminable and Spanish indeterminable, while related English forms include determinable, determinate, and indeterminate.
Related word forms
How indeterminable is actually used
This word has a formal tone and is especially common in legal, scientific, historical, and philosophical writing. It indicates a fundamental inability to establish something conclusively, rather than merely a temporary lack of information.
Easily confused with indeterminable
Indeterminable means that something cannot be determined at all, whereas indeterminate means that it is presently unspecified, vague, or not yet fixed.