5 ms·
Purely semantic... but how can a duration be "almost indefinite"?
by JosephRedfern 11y ago
Purely semantic... but how can a duration be "almost indefinite"?
- onaclov2000 11y agoI read the same thing, sooo i put em in, they might work for an hour they might work for 10 mins.... great
- IanCal 11y agoI'm not sure how you've interpreted the phrase "almost indefinite" as meaning "incredibly short lifespan" but it undoubtedly means they have a long but unknown lifespan.
- SmellyGeekBoy 11y agoPerhaps misread as "indeterminate" ?
- njharman 11y agoBecause of indefinite's definition. It doesn't mean long or short it means unknown. Which is pretty much worthless. It's probably a typo and they meant to write "almost infinite". Which actually makes sense.
- nkrisc 11y agoI would take that to mean: a duration so long that for all practical applications and uses it might as well be indefinite. But yes, it's either definite or it's indefinite, there's truly no "almost."
- njharman 11y agoIndefinite doesn't mean what you seem to think it means. Here's some synonyms to help you out; vague, ill-defined, unclear, imprecise, inexact, loose, general, nebulous, fuzzy, hazy, obscure, ambiguous, equivocal, indeterminate, unspecified, unlimited, unrestricted, undecided, undetermined, undefined, unfixed, unsettled, unknown, uncertain.
- Retra 11y agoAnd here's an actual definition of the word (not a list of other useful, related words for use in a broader context:) in·def·i·nite adjective lasting for an unknown or unstated length of time.
- nkrisc 11y agoColloquial usage is not always perfectly aligned with the dictionary definition of a word. I thought it was rather clear that the phrase "almost indefinitely" is colloquial, given the obvious absurdity if taken literally.