defined

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of define.

   The committee defined the project's goals during its first meeting.

   The boundaries were defined by the treaty signed that year.

   Note

   A regular past form: the silent e of define simply takes -d, and one spelling serves both "the committee defined" and "goals were defined." Because the participle looks exactly like the adjective, a phrase such as "a defined value" slides easily into the adjective of fixed meaning. The test is whether "more defined" makes sense. One older use, settling an argument, is now obsolete.

2. 2
   adjective

   Having an established definition or an assigned value.

   Each symbol in the notation has a defined value.

   The expression stays defined as long as the denominator isn't zero.

   Similarspecified, fixed, set, established

   Oppositeundefined, unspecified

3. 3
   adjective

   Showing extreme separation between muscles as a result of very low body fat.

   The competitor walked on stage with a remarkably defined physique.

   Months of cutting left her shoulders sharply defined.

   Similartoned, chiseled, sculpted

   Oppositeflabby, soft

   Note

   A bodybuilding word for how clearly each muscle stands apart from its neighbors, rather than how large it is. It is gradable (more defined, most defined) and pairs naturally with physique, shoulders or abs, often sharpened by an adverb such as sharply or remarkably. The picture is of a crisply drawn outline, the same image behind the verb's "mark out limits" use.

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