unbestimmter

Unbestimmter is the attributive, inflected form of the German adjective unbestimmt, meaning not definite or not specified. It is used to express indefiniteness in noun phrases and is not a standalone noun. The term is common in grammar descriptions, especially in discussions of how adjectives are declined.

In German, adjectives are declined according to the presence or absence of a determiner. After a definite article (der, die, das), adjectives take weak endings; after an indefinite article (ein, eine, ein), they take mixed endings; with no determiner, they take strong endings. The form unbestimmter corresponds to the masculine nominative singular in this mixed-ending pattern, as in ein unbestimmter Mann. The same adjective also appears in other gender-number forms, for example eine unbestimmte Frau (feminine singular) and ein unbestimmtes Kind (neuter singular). In the plural, without a determiner, adjectives take strong endings, as in unbestimmte Bücher or unbestimmte Dinge.

Common usage includes phrases like unbestimmter Artikel, which denotes the indefinite article (ein, eine, ein) itself, and phrases describing indefiniteness of quantity or reference, such as unbestimmte Mengen or unbestimmte Gründe. The concept contrasts with bestimmt, meaning definite or specified, as in der bestimmte Artikel (definite article) or bestimmte Gründe.

Etymologically, unbestimmt is formed from un- (not) and bestimmt (determined/definite), indicating non-specificity. In modern German, unbestimmter remains primarily a grammatical descriptor rather than a frequently used standalone noun, and it appears mainly in explicit discussions of article and adjective declension.