noncommittal
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not involving or revealing commitment to any particular opinion or course of action
a noncommittal reply
-
rare having no outstanding quality, meaning, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of noncommittal
Explanation
When you want to keep all your options open, stay noncommittal. This means you say "maybe" and "I'll see if I can do that," rather than making promises to do specific things. It’s pretty easy to figure out the meaning of noncommittal just by picking apart the word. The non- prefix means “not.” And you see the word commit in noncommittal. So you know that the word is going to have something to do with “not commit.” You might also recognize the suffix -al, which is a tip-off that this word is an adjective that means "not being willing to commit."
Vocabulary lists containing noncommittal
Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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And Then There Were None
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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.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, with 1.8 million, is still noncommittal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“RSVP as early as possible, be honest without being rude, and be clear that you won’t be attending rather than acting noncommittal and ultimately sending a last-minute ‘no’ anyway.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
At his G7 press conference, Trump himself sounded noncommittal about the prospects of a lasting peace with Iran.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Coach Jim Harbaugh was noticeably noncommittal about Roman’s future after the Chargers’ 16-3 loss in the AFC wild-card playoffs on Sunday night, saying the team was “going to look at that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
I strove to look stern, thoughtful, and noncommittal all at once.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
