inconclusive

[in-kuhn-kloo-siv]

adjective

1. not conclusive; not resolving fully all doubts or questions.

   inconclusive evidence.

2. without final results or outcome.

   inconclusive experiments.

inconclusive

/ ˌɪnkənˈkluːsɪv /

adjective

1. not conclusive or decisive; not finally settled; indeterminate

Other Word Forms

• inconclusively adverb
• inconclusiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inconclusive¹

First recorded in 1680–90; in- ³ + conclusive

Example Sentences

Twenty one weeks on from her death and the family have not got any answers as to the cause of Zipporah's death, after an inconclusive post-mortem examination.

From BBC

After the game, Riley described his injury as only “inconclusive.”

From Los Angeles Times

What they got instead was inconclusive meeting that produced no agreement of any sort, followed by “an awkward press appearance” captured by the Washington Post with a textbook people-are-saying deflection:

From Salon

The prosecution said the cause of Mr Cashford's death was currently inconclusive, as he seems to have suffered a "medical episode such as a cardiac arrest".

From BBC

Microscopically, electrical burns look the same before and after death, making standard examination inconclusive, say experts.

From BBC

Related Words

• ambiguous 
• deficient 
• incomplete 
• uncertain 
• unconvincing 
• uneventful 
• unsatisfactory 
• unsettled 
• vague