Standard Lemma guide

formless

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɔːmləs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈfɔɹmləs/
  • rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)mləs

1

adj

Meaning 1

Without form; shapeless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 1985: Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters. — Genesis 1:2 (New Jerusalem Bible)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Without the use of forms or templates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

having no physical form

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • belief in a world filled with...formless but often malevolent beings

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

having no definite form or distinct shape

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • amorphous clouds of insects
  • an aggregate of formless particles
  • a shapeless mass of protoplasm

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: amorphous, shapeless

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English form Proto-Indo-European *lewh1- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English formless From form + -less.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безформен (bezformen) — without form
  • Catalan: sense forma — without form
  • Dutch: vormloos — without form
  • French: sans forme — without form
  • French: informe — without form
  • Greek: άμορφος (ámorfos) — without form
  • Ancient Greek: ἄμορφος (ámorphos) — without form
  • Hungarian: alaktalan — without form
  • Ido: senforma — without form
  • Latin: informis — without form
  • Lithuanian: beformis — without form
  • Macedonian: безобличен (bezobličen) — without form
  • Polish: bezkształtny — without form
  • Polish: bezpostaciowy — without form
  • Spanish: sin forma — without form
  • Swedish: formlös — without form