Indefinite Pronouns | Definition, Examples & List

Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are used to refer to someone or something in a general way, without being specific about whom or what you’re referring to.

The main group of indefinite pronouns is formed by various combinations of no-, any-, some-, and every- with -thing, -one, and -body (e.g., ‘anything’). The same prefixes combined with -where form indefinite adverbs (e.g., ‘somewhere’), which work similarly but are not technically pronouns.

There are also other indefinite pronouns that aren’t formed in this way, such as ‘many’ and ‘little’.

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List of singular and plural indefinite pronouns

Many indefinite pronouns (e.g., ‘everyone‘) are singular even though they seem to refer to multiple people or things. For proper subject-verb agreement, it’s important to remember which pronouns are followed by a singular verb form (e.g., ‘is’) and which by a plural one (e.g., ‘are’).

The largest group of indefinite pronouns, including all the any-/every-/no-/some- pronouns, is singular in form. Remember that these words are treated as singular even when they seem to refer to multiple people or things.

A smaller group of indefinite pronouns is always plural in form. Remember to use plural verb forms with the pronouns listed below.

Some indefinite pronouns are treated as either singular or plural depending on the context. The singular version is generally used when an uncountable quantity (e.g., an amount of water) is referenced, the plural when the quantity is countable (e.g., a number of houses).

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How are indefinite pronouns used in sentences?

Indefinite pronouns can be used in the subject or object position in a sentence (e.g., ‘Someone is calling’ vs ‘He’s calling someone’). Unlike personal pronouns, indefinite pronouns take the same form regardless of whether they are subjects or objects.

Unlike most other pronouns, indefinite pronouns can be modified by adjectives, which are placed after the pronoun, not before it. Most commonly, this is the adjective else (meaning ‘other’) which is only used to modify indefinite pronouns and interrogatives.

Indefinite pronouns can also be modified by other adjectives and by prepositional phrases or relative clauses. All these modifiers should come after the pronoun itself, but an adverb sometimes appears before the pronoun.

Indefinite pronouns in negative statements

Be careful how you use indefinite pronouns in negative statements (i.e., sentences using the adverb ‘not’). Using them incorrectly can create double negatives (which say the opposite of what you mean them to say) or other ambiguities.

Sentences with ‘not’ normally use a pronoun including the prefix any- or every-.

Pronouns with some- or no- should usually be avoided in ‘not’ sentences, as they make your meaning ambiguous. It’s better to rephrase such confusing sentences by removing ‘not’ or using a pronoun with any- or every- instead.

Indefinite pronouns in questions

Which indefinite pronoun you use to pose a yes-or-no question has a big impact on the meaning of the question.

• Using an any- or every- word suggests you are asking a sincere question you don’t know the answer to.
• Using a some- word makes the question more rhetorical and suggests you already suspect the answer is ‘yes’.

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Indefinite pronouns vs determiners

Many words that function as indefinite pronouns can also be used as determiners. The difference is that:

• Pronouns are used to replace nouns, meaning that they stand on their own
• Determiners are used to modify nouns, so they appear before a noun

Avoiding gender bias with indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns such as ‘each’ and ‘everyone’ are often used to make general statements that could apply to anyone. When such a statement involves a personal pronoun or possessive determiner, there’s a risk of gender bias.

For example, in the traditional saying ‘To each his own’, the masculine possessive determiner ‘his’ is used to refer back to the generic person represented by ‘each’.

This can be seen as sexist language, since there’s no reason to assume the generic person represented is male. A more neutral way of writing this expression is ‘To each their own’, which uses a form of the singular ‘they’ instead. Further examples are given below.

• Everyone must go his own way in life.
• Everyone must go their own way in life.

• Anyone can achieve his dreams, if he sets his mind to it.
• Anyone can achieve their dreams, if they set their mind to it.

The impersonal pronoun ‘one’

The impersonal pronoun one can also be regarded as a type of indefinite pronoun. It’s used similarly to the personal pronouns and, like them, has a reflexive pronoun form, oneself.

Impersonal pronouns are used to make generalisations about all people and how they do or should behave (e.g., ‘One never knows what the future holds’). They are regarded as quite formal and often replaced with ‘you’ in everyday speech (e.g., ‘You never know …’).

Frequently asked questions

What is an indefinite pronoun?

Indefinite pronouns are pronouns such as ‘anything’ or ‘nobody’ that refer to people or things in a general way, without specifying exactly whom or what is being referenced.

The main indefinite pronouns are formed by combining any-, every-, no-, or some- with -body, -one, or -thing. Those formed with -where (e.g., ‘somewhere’) are classed as indefinite adverbs instead.

Other indefinite pronouns are not formed in this way and often also function as determiners. Some examples are ‘either’, ‘many’, ‘both’, and ‘little’.

Is ‘none’ singular or plural?

The indefinite pronoun none can be either singular (e.g., ‘There is none left’) or plural (e.g., ‘None of the books have been read’).

Some sources argue that none should always be treated as singular, even when it refers to countable quantities (e.g., ‘None of the books has been read’). This is based on the idea that it is short for ‘not one’ and thus logically must be singular.

But in fact, none can also mean ‘not any’, and it has been used as both singular and plural for centuries. There’s no good reason to restrict it to the singular form. We recommend using whichever form reads most naturally in the context.

What are the different types of pronouns?

Pronouns can be categorised into many types, all of which are very commonly used in English:

• Personal pronouns
• Subject and object pronouns
• Possessive pronouns
• Reflexive pronouns and emphatic pronouns
• Impersonal pronouns
• Demonstrative pronouns
• Interrogative pronouns
• Relative pronouns
• Indefinite pronouns
• Reciprocal pronouns
• Dummy pronouns (expletives)