inconclusive
Americanadjective
-
not conclusive; not resolving fully all doubts or questions.
inconclusive evidence.
-
without final results or outcome.
inconclusive experiments.
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- inconclusively adverb
- inconclusiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of inconclusive
First recorded in 1680–90; in- 3 + conclusive
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.
In fact, the test was inconclusive, and Kate had to wait several weeks before she was finally told she had breast cancer.
From BBC
The data leave an already divided Fed with stale and somewhat inconclusive government data as it heads into its next meeting.
For years, follow-up tests and monitoring were not carried out after inconclusive mammograms, sparking fears that falsely reassured patients may have unknowingly developed cancer.
From Barron's
The family paid for her body to be transported to Freetown for an autopsy - something the authorities could not afford to do - but the post-mortem was inconclusive and no arrests have yet been made.
From BBC
Analysts said the inconclusive nature of the latest figures was likely to bolster the case for the Fed to move cautiously and hold off on cutting in December.
From BBC
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.
