ill-defined

[ il-di-fahynd ]

/ ˈɪl dɪˈfaɪnd /

badly or inadequately defined; vague: He confuses the reader with ill-defined terms and concepts.

Origin of ill-defined

First recorded in 1865–70

But according to Wyden, the bill is “full of holes, riddled with vagueness and ill-defined terms.”

Ron Wyden and Rand Paul, the Senate's NSA-Busting ‘Ben Franklin Caucus’ |Eleanor Clift |June 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“Natural-born citizen” is an ill-defined term that has not been used in a statute since 1790.

Ted Cruz’s Candidacy Would Be Awkward for Birthers |Ben Jacobs |August 16, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
In the distance behind Gommecourt there is some ill-defined rising ground forming gullies and ravines.

The Old Front Line |John Masefield
I doubt if Kirby even glanced toward me, although if he did he saw only an ill-defined figure, with no glimpse of my face.

The Devil's Own |Randall Parrish

He must have no hazy impressions, no unthinking mind, no ill-defined ideas, no inexactness.

Public Speaking |Clarence Stratton
The island is divided into a great number of kingdoms, but so confusedly and ill-defined, that it were endless to enumerate them.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume VII |Robert Kerr
In some ill-defined way Harrington Surtaine was involved in that nostalgia.

The Clarion |Samuel Hopkins Adams

ill-defined

imperfectly defined; having no clear outline