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
- conclusively adverb
- conclusiveness noun
- nonconclusive adjective
- nonconclusively adverb
- nonconclusiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of conclusive
1580–90; < Late Latin conclūsīvus, equivalent to Latin conclūs ( us ) (past participle of conclūdere to conclude; conclusion ) + -īvus -ive
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.
But Davis said in a pool report “there was not clear and conclusive evidence to overturn the on-court ruling.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
"It's not by itself conclusive, but it suggests that maybe the dynamo was in a slightly different regime than today," he said.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
Since 2008, the government has taken no conclusive action, leaving shareholders in purgatory.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
The most conclusive evidence came in 2018 when Israel whisked Iran’s secret nuclear archives out of Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
He hoped to get conclusive answers from Admiral Ulysses Sharp, commander of the Pacific fleet, who was monitoring the situation from his base in Hawaii.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
