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formless

formless

7 5.6
Something that has no clear shape, like fog or a cloud
  • adjective
  • /ˈfɔːrmləs/
: sin forma
  • As the fog rolled in, the landscape became formless, obscuring shapes and lines.
  • a formless void
  • formless mysteries
  • a formless self

G is a bridge between the, the formless dimension and the form.

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Examples

  • The real matrix is infinite, formless and fundamental.

  • Likewise, if Ruysch's preparations were removed from their jars, they would degenerate into formless, jellied lumps of tissue.

    Academic text (1996)
  • It's a formless mass, but it's going to come together.

  • The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water.

  • And then the formless light began to take on substance and shape.

  • Art must reveal to us ideas, formless, spiritual essences.

  • The barn door was cluttered with the drowsy, formless animals that now owned him.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • There she sat, shifting as the shadow shifted, her thoughts as formless and furious as the maddening heat.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Creeping closer, Gentry sees movement at the window, a brief, formless shape passing in the moonlight.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The deer is generic meat, a formless wedge of brown paint streaked with crimson.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

shapeless
vsformless
10 3.5

It has no clear shape or form

is the exact same meaning expressed in a different word form
unstructured
vsformless
7 4.4

Not organized in a clear plan or order

is broader by including missing shape as well as missing organization
amorphous
vsformless
  • Specialized
5 7.3

Not having a clear shape or regular structure

is the general term for lack of shape or structure across contexts
unformed
vsformless
5 5.4

Not fully developed or given a clear shape

is about lacking shape or structure regardless of development stage
unformulated
vsformless
1 7.0

Not clearly expressed or made definite

is the general physical and organizational absence of shape or structure
figureless
vsformless
1 8.4

Without a clear shape or form

is broader, applying to lack of shape or structure generally
structureless
vsformless
1 6.5

Not organised in a clear plan or order

is similar but also covers lack of physical shape, not only organization
nonstructured
vsformless
1 5.8

Not organized and having no clear order or pattern

adds missing visual shape to the idea of lacking organization or plan
amorphic
vsformless
1 8.6

Not having a clear shape or form

is broader and not limited to physical or material examples
amorph
vsformless
9.9

Not having a clear shape or form and often changing

is the same core meaning but differs only as another lexical form

Antonyms

46 3.9

Arranged in a clear, planned way with regular parts or routines

How Formed

well-formed
  • Specialized
5 4.4
irregular
14 3.4
formless
7 5.6
shapeless
10 3.5
amorphous
  • Specialized
5 7.3

Surface Forms

formless positive
formlesser comparative
formlessest superlative

Morphology

formless = form (transparent) = form + less

The adjective is a direct privative derivation from the noun 'form' using the productive suffix '-less', so the meaning is easily predictable.

Etymology

The word formless comes from the simple word form, which means 'shape', and the ending -less, which means 'without'. So something formless is 'without shape', which is why we use it for things that have no clear or definite shape.