Indefinitely: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when something will last for an unknown period of time, with no set end date. Often implies temporary uncertainty rather than a permanent state.

• The project has been postponed indefinitely.
• They will remain on hold indefinitely until we receive further instructions.

Use to describe something that seems to go on without stopping, often in a figurative or hyperbolic sense.

• The teacher talked about the topic endlessly.
• She could watch that movie endlessly.

Use for something intended to last for a very long time or without change, especially in a physical or formal sense.

• He has moved to another country permanently.
• The tattoo is permanently on her skin.

Best used when referring to something that will last for all time, without end. Often carries sentimental or dramatic connotations.

• I will love you forever.
• They pledged to remain friends forever.

Used when something is expected to last for an unknown amount of time, often with no end in sight.

• The project has been postponed indefinitely.
• They will stay abroad indefinitely.

Used when something is done or described in an unclear or non-specific way.

• She vaguely remembered meeting him at the party.
• His instructions were vaguely worded, making them hard to follow.

Used when something is not done with exactness or accuracy.

• He described the location imprecisely, which made it difficult to find.
• The data was recorded imprecisely.

Used to describe something that cannot be precisely or clearly defined.

• The feeling was indefinably strange.
• Her beauty was indefinably unique.