ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Inchoate

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ɪnˈkəʊət/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Inchoate is an adjective meaning Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature.

Meaning

Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature.

More Meanings

  1. Chaotic, disordered, confused; also, incoherent, rambling.
  2. (law) Of a crime, imposing criminal liability for an incompleted act.
  3. (transitive) To begin or start (something).
  4. (transitive) To cause or bring about. In the field of criminology, to encourage, assist, conspire, aid and abet, incite, etc.
  5. (intransitive) To make a start.
  6. (rare) A beginning, an immature start.

Example Sentences

neither a substance perfect, nor a substance inchoate
Very odd and ugly were these beings, as indeed are most beings of a world yet inchoate and rudely fashioned.
A youth whose brain glowed like a furnace, whose heart throbbed with tumult of high ambitions, of inchoate desires.
...unfortunately, we have to face inchoate schemes which will demand the utmost jealousy and vigilance of Parliament.

Word Forms

Synonyms for inchoate

Depending on context, synonyms include elementary, immature, embryonic, incipient, nascent, rudimentary.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include incipient, early, nascent, basic, elementary, flawed.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.