conclusive
Americanadjective
-
serving to settle or decide a question; decisive; convincing.
conclusive evidence.
- Synonyms:
- definitive
-
tending to terminate; closing.
adjective
-
putting an end to doubt; decisive; final
-
approaching or involving an end or conclusion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of conclusive
1580–90; < Late Latin conclūsīvus, equivalent to Latin conclūs ( us ) (past participle of conclūdere to conclude; see conclusion) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
If you've got a theory that you're trying to prove, and you uncover a conclusive piece of evidence, then the case is closed. Conclusive means you've got your answer, you've proved your theory, and there can't be any doubt about it. If want to prove that frogs can speak, and you record a frog reciting "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," that would be conclusive evidence for your claim. But if the frog seemed to be mumbling and mainly making regular old frog noises, critics would say that your video was not conclusive. You can also use the word conclusive to describe winning something easily or by a large margin, like when the talent competition judges handed the tap-dancing bear a conclusive victory, and he moved on triumphantly to the finals.
Vocabulary lists containing conclusive
The Emancipation Proclamation (1862)
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Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There had been widespread doubt that its latest report would be conclusive.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
To develop a meaningful deterrent, no country would wait until conclusive public evidence proved its adversaries had nuclear weapons.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
"They don't see any conclusive evidence here to say that Joe Newell has touched this with a punishable part of the arm," he added.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
“Although we do not have conclusive evidence of this occurring yet, it may still be on the horizon, and increased churn in the labor market could be anticipated.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Like every other swing of the Eisman club, this was less a conclusive event than a suggestion.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
