Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Lacking definite form; shapeless. See Synonyms at shapeless.
- adj. Of no particular type; anomalous.
- adj. Lacking organization; formless.
- adj. Lacking distinct crystalline structure.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Having no determinate form; of irregular shape.
- Having no regular structure; specifically, not crystallized, even in the minutest particles: as, glass and opal are amorphous.—. Of no particular kind or character; formless; characterless; heterogeneous; unorganized.
- Characterized by amorphism; founded on the principles of amorphism; nihilistic; anarchic.
- Also amorphic.
Wiktionary
- adj. lacking a definite form or clear shape
- adj. being without definite character or nature
- adj. lacking organization or unity
- adj. physics in the non-crystalline solid state of a typically crystalline solid.
- adj. set theory, of a set infinite and not the disjoint union of two infinite subsets
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having no determinate form; of irregular; shapeless.
- adj. Without crystallization in the ultimate texture of a solid substance; uncrystallized.
- adj. Of no particular kind or character; anomalous.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. without real or apparent crystalline form
- adj. having no definite form or distinct shape
- adj. lacking the system or structure characteristic of living bodies
Etymologies
- From Ancient Greek ἄμορφος (amorphos) "without form, shapeless, deformed" (itself from α- (a-) "without" + μορφή (morphē) "form") + the English suffix -ous (Wiktionary)
- From Greek amorphos : a-, without; see a-1 + morphē, shape. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“No, I don't think 'amorphous' is quite the word for much of that southern white elite.”
Is That Legal?: The Past And Partisan Posturing in North Carolina
“I don't know if the problem is that my "Gen" can only think in amorphous non-thoughts, but the best thing they could do would be to come up with actual concrete plans of action.”
“And speaking of crying out loud, if you look and listen you'll see that these youngsters are crying out for guidance on how they can help make this space thing happen and forge their paths into the future, and what do they get from the peanut gallery? packed full of nothing can only think in amorphous non-thoughts”
“In collaboration with John Konnert and Peter D'Antonio, procedures were developed for determining atomic arrangements in amorphous materials based on criteria similar to those applied to molecular vapors.”
“Again; solid bodies, whether simple or compound, are capable of existing in two states, which are known by the terms amorphous and crystalline.”
“He said Apple will take a production line at Sharp's Sakai facility to make a modified version of what are known as amorphous TFT displays and will likely begin commercial production of what he called iTV in February.”
“He said Apple will take a production line at Sharp's Sakai facility to make a modified version of what are known as amorphous TFT displays and will probably begin commercial production of what he called iTV in February.”
“United Solar uses something called amorphous silicon technology, while Dow has set its sights on a newer technology known as Cigs -- photovoltaic cells made of copper, indium, gallium and selenium, which, when they work, are more efficient -- able to turn 13% of the sun's energy into electricity.”
“Now glasses are also silicates of various metals, but unlike gem minerals the glasses are not crystalline but rather amorphous, that is, without definite geometric form or definite internal arrangement.”
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public
“The water molecules would have stuck together much more haphazardly, forming so-called amorphous ice.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘amorphous’.
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SCIE - EU nomenclature
All the scientific words found in the official EU nomenclature. For the screening I used Vocabgrabber of the Visual Thesaurus.
abdominal, absorbent, accelerator, accumulator, acebutolol, acetamide, acetanilide, acetate, acetic acid, acetone, acetous, acetyl and 1171 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Iaan
dirigisme, dystopia, cacotopia, ex ante, veritable, indefatigable, curmudgeon, desultory, antediluvian, transmogrify, pendent, elongate and 272 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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TECH - metals and alloys
embrittle, braze, nickel alloy, metallize, Inconel, eutectic, metalize, vapor pressure, corrosion-resistant, alloy, stainless steel, neutron flux and 262 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2057 more...
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Philosophic , etymology
every major discipline has uniquely developed esoteric nomenclature to facilitate interdisciplinary dissemination
quale , qualia, elegy, tacet, lexicon, annunciate, caste, eros, contrive, purlicue, irony, venacular, dilapidate and 569 more...
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Misanthropic
Lovecraft, Lovecraftian, bete noire
Lovecraftian, bête noire, festinate, hathos, misogynist, foredoom, decorticate, malingerer, nemophilist, mendicant, pendragon, stultify and 33 more...
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February 2012
filiopietistic, bifurcate, enclave, wedlock, decadent, unduly, defunct, lapel, tumescent, capitulation, leaden, scintilla and 83 more...
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texture
words of diversity
sinewy, mottled, gingham, ornate, intricate, florid, ruddy, roughage, amorphous, sinuous, pied, dappled and 2 more...
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1000 words
abdicate, aberration, abet, abide, abject, ablution, abnegate, aboriginal, abortive, abrogate, abstemious, abstruse and 78 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for amorphous.
wackyvorlon I love this word. Has a wonderful sound. Sep 22, 2008